People's Democracy

Firing Was Unprovoked: Probe Team

THE lathicharge and firing on students Theog, about 35 km from Shimla, by Himachal police was probed by a team that visited the state on October 7. The team comprised Subodh Roy (member of parliament), Daulat Ram Verma (former Zilla Parishad chairman), Professor Lallan Rai (H P University), Sanjay Chauhan (joint secretary, Himachal Pradesh AIKS), Tikender Singh Panwar (DYFI state secretary), Vijender Mehra and Sanjeev Bhasin (advocate), and met a cross-section of the society in Theog. The team examined the October 3 incident and held talks with the shopkeepers around the site, common people of the area, youth and students. Special attention was paid to the version given by the police when the team visited the local police station. The team came out with the following findings:

1. The team found that the students’ demand for a college bus was just, legitimate and necessary.
2. The students’ agitation in the preceding couple of weeks was absolutely peaceful, legal, constitutional and under the provisions of law.
3. The episode brought to light the highly callous behaviour of the administration that has to be strongly condemned. No initiative to negotiate with the agitating students was taken by the administration of the subdivision and the district. This character of the administration is highly anti-people and actually proved to be the reason for a prolonged agitation.
4. The police firing and brutal lathicharge was unwarranted, totally unjustified and uncalled for. It was a naked act of barbarism, as even girls and children present on the spot were not spared. This trend of brutalisation of the police force is developing during the BJP regime and is most dangerous for the state. Also, all acts of police brutality are being defended, right from top to bottom in the organisation.
5. Though the police office claimed that more than 16 police personnel were injured during the stone pelting, the officer failed to produce any injured policeman when asked to do so. He said he was not able to do so at that juncture.
6. The police brutality went on increasing. A shocking incident was reported in which 3 innocent boys, who had nothing to do with the agitation or the demand, were picked up by the police at random and were produced before a magistrate only after 45 hours, in violation of all constitutional norms. Not only were these boys illegally confined but were severely tortured. Marks of torture on their bodies were seen by the team members too. This act of the police is highly condemnable.

The team demanded that the legitimate demand of the agitating students be conceded and a bus service immediately started. Besides, the manhunt by the police must immediately stop and all false cases instituted against the innocent people must be immediately withdrawn. Another demand the probe team made was that the police officials responsible for the brutal lathcharge and uncalled-for firing must be sternly be punished. (INN)