After the State police miserably failed to handle the Jat quota agitation in the State, Haryana Government is likely to bring in major changes to revamp the policing system.
The State Government is examining the recommendations given by retired IPS Prakash Singh in his report submitted to the State Government. The retired IPS had submitted a report on police and administration failure to control violence during Jat quota stir earlier this year.
Sources said that the Chief Minister Manohar lal has held a meeting with senior officers of the State Government to discuss the suggestions given in the report on internal security in various districts of the state.
The State Government is likely to constitute a high level committee to examine the recommendations and chalk out a plan on internal security in various districts, said sources.
While the State Government had asked Prakash Singh to stop working on his second report on police reforms in the state, it had decided to examine the recommendations related to internal security given in his first report. Besides strengthening the internal security system, the BJP led Haryana Government is also considering to reinforce the police training format.
Parkash Singh in its report had stated, “The State Government should direct the administration to ensure that the internal security schemes, both at state and district levels, are updated and issued as soon as possible.” “The district riot schemes have not been drawn up in quite a few districts (Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind and Hisar). The remaining four districts have schemes but these need to be updated. No wonder, the response of the district administration was ad hoc and tentative during Jat stir,” the report said.
It stated, “The internal security scheme is a very important document in the scheme of maintenance of public order and tranquillity. It is a ready reckner for any district Superintendent of Police to plan the deployment of forces during any law and order problem. if the scheme were in place and up-to-date, it would have been a useful document for Saurabh Singh, DIG-cum-SP Rohtak, who was deputed to look after the district barely ten days before the riots broke out in Rohtak district during Jat quota agitation.”
“Equally important is its updating based on the observations/experience after every major law and order problem. It is a matter of grave concern that the statutory provisions contained in Section 35 of The Haryana Police Act, 2007 were not given due attention in the state,” he said in his report.
Notably, the Jat agitation had led to the deaths of 30 people, injured more than 300 and resulted in loss of public and government property amounting to crores of rupees.
Parkash Singh in his 451-page report on violence during the Jat quota stir, had said that the “administrative paralysis” had gripped the state and the “highest functionaries in the government failed to show the kind of guidance, direction and control that is expected in a crisis of such proportions”.
He had indicted 90 police and administrative officers for their “failure to act”. For his first report, he had heard 2,217 persons drawn from different walks of life and more than 100 video films taken during the agitation were received by him.
Prakash Singh had submitted the first report to the Haryana Government on May 13.