Govt treating matter like 'trash': J'khand HC on probe of Ranchi violence

Peeved at the slow pace of investigation into the June 10 violence in Ranchi, the Jharkhand High Court observed that the state government is treating the matter like trash

Peeved at the slow pace of investigation into the June 10 violence in Ranchi, the Jharkhand High Court on Thursday observed that the state government is treating the matter like trash.

Two people were killed and several others critically injured after violent protests rocked Ranchi on June 10 over controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

A division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad, while hearing a public interest litigation, said that the investigation has not proceeded well and it seems that the "administration has considered it to be fit for the waste paper basket".

The bench said that the matter was earlier being probed by a Special Investigating Team headed by the Ranchi SSP.

"Then the matter was handed over to the CID by the government for reasons best known to it. The SSP was also removed from the case and the investigation has been stagnant," the bench observed.

The court ordered the director general of police to file an affidavit to give an explanation and report the current status of the investigation in the case.

Meanwhile, the government counsel defending the state said that since the incident involved the death of two persons in police firing, the matter was handed over to the CID.

The bench was however not satisfied with the pleadings of the government advocate and also ordered the DGP to inform how many cases involving death of persons have been handed over to the CID since 2010.

The court was also informed that the Ranchi SSP Surendra Kumar Jha is awaiting his posting.

The bench has also ordered for production of the file pertaining to the transfer and posting of Jha.

The court said that the police officer was in the middle of the case and had done enough to defuse the situation, and that he should not have been removed from the case without any specific reason.

The court was also informed that as many as 31 FIRs were lodged over the violence in the state capital.

Only one case of Daily Market Police Station has been handed over to the CID, the petitioner's counsel informed the court.

The case was filed by one Pankaj Yadav who alleged that the violence was a planned conspiracy and the government is trying to shield the culprits.

The petitioner also alleged that video footage of the perpetrators of the violence has not been shown to eyewitnesses for zeroing-in on their identities.