ML Khattar gives nod to chargesheet two DSPs

100 officials were indicted by the Prakash Singh committee

THE PRAKASH SINGH COMMITTEE HAD HELD THAT DAHIYA RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT USING ANY FORCE AGAINST AGITATORS WHO LOOTED AND SET THE SIKSHA BHARTI SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN ROHTAK ABLAZE

CHANDIGARH Cracking whip on the officials found guilty for mala fide and deliberate negligence in the large-scale violence during the Jat stir in February last year, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is learnt to have given his approval to chargesheet two deputy superintendents of police (DSPs).

They are said to be Amit Dahiya, the-then DSP of Sadar in Rohtak and Rajbir Singh, thethen Bhiwani DSP.

About 100 officials, including IAS and IPS officers, were indicted by the Prakash Singh committee, constituted by the Haryana government to probe acts of omission and commis- sion on part of the police and civil administration officials during the February Jat quota stir for mala fide and deliberate negligence.

Apart from large-scale violence and arson across Haryana, 30 persons were killed in firing by army, police as well as private firing.

The Prakash Singh committee had held that Dahiya, among other officers, was responsible for not using any force against agitators who looted and set the Siksha Bharti Senior Secondary School situated at Gohana Road, Rohtak, ablaze on February 19 and again on February 20, last year.

The report found that Sadar police station was informed on February 19 that agitators had vandalised the school, set ablaze five buses and the projector hall and then, again, on February 20, but the police did not act against the agitators.

Armed with petrol bombs and other combustible material, they set buses, generator, principal’s office, clerks’ office, music room and the library ablaze and also looted cash, on two days.

About 5,000 books in the library kept burning for three days but there was no response from the fire brigade either.

Likewise, the report had indicted Bhiwani DSP Rajbir Singh among others, for failing to check rioters.

The committee report said that a crowd of agitators freely roamed around in Sector 13, where Jat agitators were sitting on dharna and where the two groups clashed.

Police was present at the location but they did not use force to prevent the clash.

The rioters, thereafter, also roamed in the city and vandalised the Jat dharamshala in Bhiwani in presence of DSP Rajbir Singh, among others, the committee had found.