In a bid to placate the Patidar community ahead of the Assembly polls in Gujarat, the BJP government set up an inquiry commission on Tuesday to probe alleged police excesses during the 2015 Patidar quota agitation.
The commission headed by former Gujarat High Court Judge Justice K.A. Puj will probe whether the police had inflicted atrocities on the Patidar community during the agitation. Fourteen Patidar members were killed in police firing.
“The government has decided to set up the inquiry commission headed by a retired judge to probe the allegations,” Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja told journalists in Gandhinagar. Mr. Jadeja said that the government had withdrawn over 100 cases lodged against members of the community for rioting and damaging public property. “We have withdrawn cases after consultations with the home and legal departments of the State government,” Mr. Jadeja said.
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The government has set up the commission after representatives of the Patidar community demanded a judicial probe as there is a common feeling that the “police force had used excesses to target Patidars during the agitation.”
Hardik Patel, the 24-year-old who led the quota agitation, has demanded action against the police personnel who beat up women in Patidar-dominated localities in Ahmedabad.
However, the two sedition cases against Mr. Patel and his aides filed by Ahmedabad and Surat police will stay as the cases are under the purview of the respective courts.
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The government has also set up a new board to extend financial help for educational and economic development of non-reserved communities in the State. The government has also earmarked ₹600 crore for the newly set up body.