R-DAY VIOLENCE: COURT PULLS UP POLICE FOR ‘CONVENIENT’ INVESTIGATION
NEW DELHI: A city court on Monday admonished the city police for arresting common farmers instead of their leaders in connection to the violence during the farmers’ protest rally on Republic Day, saying that they were just following their leaders.
Additional sessions judge Gagandeep Singh, during the hearing on the anticipatory bail plea of gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana, said it appeared that the police investigation into the case was going as per the “convenience of the investigating authority instead of as per the mandate of the law”.
“The common farmers who were just following the calls of their leaders are being picked up and it appears that till date none of the leaders have been even asked to join the investigation,” the judge said.
Thousands of farmers protesting against three contentious laws that seek to deregulate agricultural trade clashed with the police and damaged public property during a tractor rally on Republic Day.
Earlier, on August 9, the court asked the police to file a status report on its investigation with regard to the 35 leaders named in the FIR related to the case.
Senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, appearing for Sidhana, told the court that the FIR was registered after 12 hours of the incident, and includes the names of 35 leaders but despite the lapse of eight months, none of them have either been arrested or asked to join the investigation.
Additional Public Prosecutor G S Guarya, appearing for the police, admitted that the report filed was cryptic and does not address the issues raised by the court.
The court said the report filed by the police was an attempt to sidetrack the issue, and noted that the investigating officer’s “main evidence” against Sidhana was also not up to the mark.
It said that there was no audio and it cannot be heard what Sidhana was saying to the other protesters.
The court directed that the proper video of the alleged instigating speech given by Sidhana should be submitted.
The matter will be heard on August 26.