MAGISTRATES FIND GAPS IN INVESTIGATION

The progress reports by area magistrates on investigations into FIRs registered by the Haryana Police into the February Jat quota violence have painted a poor picture of probe so far.

The reports by area magistrates of Sonepat, Panipat and Karnal among few other districts were taken up by the high court bench of justices SS Saron and Arun Palli, in which most judicial officers have complained of poor investigation.

“Result of 100 cases out of 105 cases (registered) leaves no manner of doubt that investigation has not been conducted properly. And if justice has to prevail all such matters should be handed over to some independent investigation agency,” the report of Manglesh Kumar Choubey, an additional civil judge at Gohana in Sonepat, states, further adding that in 15 FIRs, 70 people were made to join the probe just to identify the accused who are visible in photos, and in another 13 cases, 83 persons were shown the photos for the same. “It appears that as the agitation was stagemanaged, so is the present investigation,” he adds.

Amit Sharma, additional civil judge, Ganaur, says in his report that in an FIR in which Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti national president Yashpal Malik among other senior leaders were booked for rioting and sedition, arrests have not been made and Malik and others regularly come on TV channels. The investigation into the case is “far from satisfactory”, as no accused had been arrested.

“It is submitted that the steps taken by the investigating agency for apprehension of remaining persons involved in the offences do not appear at all as satisfactory,” the report of Karnal additional chief judicial magistrate Hemant Yadv says in an FIR registered for damage to public property and rioting.