The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Centre and Delhi government to respond to a plea for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into an alleged attack on farmers camped on the outskirts of the Capital in protest against contentious farms laws on January 29.
Justice Mukta Gupta issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi government’s Home department and the SHO of Alipur police station, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, even as the Centre opposed the plea on the ground that it was “misconceived”.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aman Lekhi, appearing for the MHA, the Home Department and the Station House Officer of Alipur PS, argued that the plea for an independent SIT probe was “unwarranted”.
The ASG said that the petition was seeking constitution of an SIT comprising officers “independent of the Central government” which was not possible.
The court, however, directed that a status report under the signature of a Joint Commissioner of Police be filed before the next date of hearing on July 26. The plea claimed that on January 29 the farmers’ camp at Singhu borderwas attacked by some miscreants “with assistance and guidance of the police personnel” deployed there.
