Two elderly men nabbed for Jan 26 violence granted bail
FRIDAY’S BAIL FOR THE ELDERLY DUO ALSO MEANT THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO HAVE MADE BAIL AFTER BEING ARRESTED FOR THE REPUBLIC DAY VIOLENCE SO FAR JUMPED TO SIX
NEW DELHI: Two elderly men from Punjab — Gurkmukh Singh, 80, and Jeet Singh, 70 — who had been arrested by Delhi Police for assaulting security personnel during the Republic Day violence, were granted bail by a city court on Friday.
The two are the eldest, among the 146 persons arrested for the violence on January 26, so far. The court while granting the bail took into account the age of the two men, the fact that they had no criminal past and the fact that they had served in the defence forces.
Friday’s bail for the elderly duo also meant that the number of people who had received bail after being arrested for their alleged involvement in the Republic Day violence so far jumped to six. Papers seen by Hindustan Times, show that in these six cases, the courts observed that the men had no criminal record and were merely picked up from the spots of violence. In one case, where three men were arrested, the court noted that police are yet to connect them directly with the violence.
To be sure, the six are only out on bail and are yet to be cleared of the charges. As part of the probe and legal process, police will gather evidence against the six men and present it in their charge sheet. The court will then start trial against the six men. The courts have directed the six men to not leave the country without permission and not to threaten or influence witnesses or complainants.
Sample this observation by a city court in FIR 50 registered by the Baba Haridas Nagar police. Police had arrested three men for allegedly assaulting police personnel when they were asked not to deviate from the pre-approved route of the farmers tractor rally.
The court observed that the alleged rioters Jaswinder Singh, Lovepreet Singh and Ramdeep Singh, were on a motorcycle at the spot of the violence on January 26 but police are yet to link them to the violence. “...It is observed by the court that nowhere in the reply, it has been averred as to what was the role of the accused/applicant...the court has also observed that there is no specific involvement of the accused/applicant in any violence or breaking of the barricade in the present case,” the court said, while granting bail to the three men. The court also observed that the three did not have a criminal record.
Jaswinder, Lovepreet and Ramandeep were the first to get bail on February 8.
In response to the release of the six men on bail, former MLA and president of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, said, “Delhi police have arrested many innocent farmers for the violence that day. The DSGMC is working with a panel of lawyers and offering probono services to ensure that all innocent people arrested are released on bail at the earliest.”
While Delhi police spokesperson DCP Chinmoy Biswal was not available for a response, a senior Delhi police officer who did not wish to be named, said, “Bail is a legal process and the right of the accused. We have arrested 143 persons. We have evidence, which is why the courts have not given bail in other cases. There are more than 100 people arrested for the violence. The circumstances of the arrest of each person and their specific crime are bound to be different, even if the main allegation is of rioting. There are also prominent people, like Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and Iqbal Singh, against whom we have concrete evidence. We have presented the evidence gathered (so far) against him in court. Also, we have arrest only 143 persons, when the mob comprised of a larger number. We arrest only those who were violent that day. Further investigations are on.”