RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, June 25: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) will probe into the June 10 violence which claimed two lives from a particular community and left several injured, including police officials besides disturbing the social fabric in the state capital.
IG (Human Rights) Akhilkesh Kumar Jha directed the probe getting instruction from DGP Neeraj Sinha. With the development, the CID will take over the entire matter from the Ranchi district police and start a probe.
Incidentally, the development took place after a PIL in the matter was filed in the Jharkhand High Court by a social activist Pankaj Yadav on June 17 and first hearing the matter took place on June 24 by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice S.N.Prasad.
The high court has asked the state government to explain how 10,000 individuals gathered in a public space. Aside from that, the court inquired about the number of people killed in the incident, as well as the number of rounds of bullets fired by the police. The court also asked whether or not other measures like tear gas and water cannon were used by the police or not. The court also inquired whether the police employed other tactics before resorting to firing, such as tear gas and water cannon.
The State government is expected to file a reply by July 8 in the High Court.
It is also a coincidence that the PIL was filed after June 13, when Governor Ramesh Bais summoned the Director General of Police, Additional Director General of Police (Operations), Ranchi Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police at Raj Bhavan and took detailed information about the incidents that took place in Ranchi on and after 10th June.
The Governor asked them what information the administration had about the proposed event, picketing, demonstration, procession and what arrangements did it make.
He asked what inputs IB, CID and special branch had given and how many security personnel and magistrates were present there during the procession. He asked what preventive action did the police take and why didn’t they use water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas.
He asked why there was no provision of equipment and weapons required for preventive action and why police were not wearing helmets and protective gears. The governor asked about the number of arrests, FIRs lodged and directed the police officials to find out details of all protestors and those who have been caught.
The governor had asked them to make their names and addresses public, make their hoardings by displaying their photographs at main places in the city so that the public could also identify them and help police.
The governor asked them to take action against those spreading rumors on social media about the incident.
It is also coincidence that the development nine days after home secretary Rajeev Aurn Ekka issued a show cause notice to SSP S.K.Jha, asking why he put up a poster with pictures of troublemakers and directing him to respond within two days.
It is also a coincidence that order has been given when the CID is understaffed. An insider said it has two posts of IGs and four posts of SPs vacant. “There is one DIG with two additional charges. Against the sanctioned strength of 54 inspectors, 49 sub inspectors, 72 ASI and 149 constables hardly 60 percent are working,” the insider said.
A police official said its general trend was to hand over the highlighted case to the CID, which delayed the probe lamenting the crisis of manpower. “Earlier highlighted cases including illegal felling of trees in Palamu, coal smuggling of Latehar was also handed over to it and now government is contemplating of hand over to responsibility of probe in scam taken place in organization of mega event Momentum Jharkhand during Das government time,” the police official said.
Contacted the only SP of CID, S Karthik for his comment on the recent development he directed the question to his senior officials, who did not take calls.
Violence had erupted on June 10 after a Muslims organised a protest march against the derogatory remarks of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma regarding Prophet Mohammed. The incident threw normal life out of gear for a week and the administration had to work hard to bring normalcy.
