Thangadh probe: HC notice to govt

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat high court on Tuesday sought explanation from the state government and concerned police authorities in response to a petition filed by the father of a dalit youth killed in the 2012 Thangadh police firing. The petitioner demanded a copy of the inquiry report prepared by IAS officer Sanjay Prasad, and asked for the report to be placed on public record.

Prasad's report never saw the light of the day, and the deceased youth's kin kept on asking for a copy of it. After the report was submitted to the chief secretary, the families of the deceased youth were denied access to it, even when they filed petitions under RTI laws.

Deceased youth Mehul Rathod's father Valjibhai has approached the high court seeking direction to the state government to place the inquiry report on record and to provide him a copy. His counsel Anand Yagnik argued that this inquiry report has direct bearing on the investigation carried out by Gujarat police in Thangadh firing case. Free, fair and impartial investigation cannot be conducted in absence of this inquiry report.

It was also contended that continued non-disclosure of the report would only encourage a cloud of mystification of the whole incident and most importantly it would hamper the investigation process.

After an uproar over the deaths of three dalit youths in September 2012 in police firing, the state government assigned IAS officer Sanjay Prasad to conduct an inquiry into the incident. There were five FIRs filed with Thangadh police station in regard to this incident, in which a few dalit youths faced assault charges apart from charges levelled against cops.

Out of five FIRs, two FIRs registered by police against dalits have culminated into chargesheets, while two FIRs registered by relatives of the deceased youths against policemen have resulted into a summary report.

The court has asked the authorities to reply to this petition by October 14, when it has kept for further hearing.