A division bench of Jharkhand High Court headed by Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra on Wednesday sought a status report of the probe initiated following violence in the heart of Jharkhand capital on June 10 last year. The High Court passed the order after the state home secretary Vandana Dadel and DGP Ajay Kumar Singh appeared in person before the Court.
The court directed the senior officers to submit the status report of the investigation conducted in the case to the court through an affidavit. The court has posted the next hearing on the PIL on July 5.
Last year, violence occurred in State Capital after a mob took out a march from Equra Mosque after Friday Namaz protesting against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s ‘derogatory remarks’ on Prophet Mohammed.
On June 17 last year advocate Rajeev Kumar had filed the PIL in the high court on behalf of Pankaj Yadav, requesting an investigation by the National Investigation Agency.
Yadav, a social activist and RTI activist, in his petition had claimed that the miscreants used ferocious violence and planned to disrupt social order by yelling slogans and throwing stones. Many temples in the city were also targeted during the unrest, according to the petitioner.
The petitioner in his petition has claimed that violence propagated in a well-planned manner, and that the NIA should investigate the entire situation. The police were fired upon by the mob when they attempted to stop the miscreants who were committing violence in the shape of a mob. Following that, the police opened fire. The application claims that violence was propagated in a well-planned manner, and that the NIA should investigate the entire situation.
The peaceful protest spiralled out of control as a few protestors began pelting stones after the police attempted to disperse the crowd gathered near the Hanuman Mandir, which is just 150 meters away from Iqra Masjid on the main road.
At least two persons allegedly died and over 18 sustained severe injuries after police opened fire in Ranchi to quell protests by thousands of Muslims who gathered at the Ranchi Main Road near Daily Market on June 10. The deceased were identified as Mobasir of Islamnagar and Sahil of Christia Nagar on the Mahatma Gandhi Road.
The primary plan of the protestors was to form a human chain near Iqra Masjid, but pelting stones was totally unanticipated.
After the violence, the Jharkhand Police released a poster with photographs of persons who were caught on camera pelting stones and participating in the violence that erupted in Ranchi on June 10. However, later the posters were withdrawn after the section of ruling party leaders objected to the release of posters.