Pointing out “acts of negligence on the part of certain officials” during the recent Jat quota agitation in Haryana, the inquiry committee headed by former senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Prakash Singh on Friday submitted its report to the State government.
“We have pointed out the role of certain police officers…Some of the victims mentioned negligence on the part of the officers,” Mr. Singh told reporters in Chandigarh.
In February, the Jat agitation brought the State to a standstill for over 10 days, during which at least 30 people were killed, over 200 injured and property worth hundreds of crores destroyed as the stir turned violent.
Khattar promises actionChief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the State government would examine the report of the committee and take appropriate action soon.
The Haryana government had constituted this committee on February 25 to inquire into the acts of omission and commission on the part of police and civil administration officials during the stir from February 7 to February 22.
“Officers who were derelict in the performance of their duties or who showed a soft corner for the agitators and thereby gave them a long rope have been identified,” the government said in a statement, after receiving the report.
The committee had examined the role of officers in the Jat stir-affected districts of Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind, Hisar, Kaithal, Bhiwani, Sonepat and Panipat during 71 days of investigation.
The committee had also made recommendations to improve the functioning of the civil and police administration, the statement said.
“The committee members inspected the scenes of crime, met the aggrieved, and also listened to people who wanted to appear before the committee. The committee also interacted with the administrative and police officers in all the districts and heard their version,” said the statement. The report, which is in two volumes, runs into about 450 pages.
