AHMEDABAD: Members of Muslim community from Khambhat town have approached the Gujarat high court demanding transfer of investigation from local police to either CID (crime) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the FIR lodged against leaders who took out the procession on Ram Navmi leading to communal flare up last month.
During the Shobha Yatra taken out on Ram Navmi, communal violence took place and there were incidents of looting, burning of private properties, houses and shops. Religious places too were damaged. Later, Anand district administration carried out a demolition drive and pulled down illegally put up business establishments of those accused of rioting.
Cops filed two FIRs – one against members of the Muslim community and the second against members of the committee that took out the procession and a mob of 1,000 persons. The petitioners, who have approached the HC through advocate Anand Yagnik, claimed that the police have till date not arrested a single accused person though their names were mentioned in the FIR.
"All those arrests which are made belongs to one section of society namely the minority. The investigation that has been carried out has been one sided based on religious consideration and religious bias. Every day new arrest is being made in the first FIR whereas in the second FIR, nothing happens. Every day new conspiracy theories are floated with respect to first FIR whereas in the second FIR, in spite of addition of sections 435, 436, 447 and 427 of IPC, the same police investigating into both the FIRs deliberately, consciously, in a mala fide manner, as a part of colourable exercise of power, based on extra-legal and extra constitutional considerations, doesn’t take any action with respect to offences arising out of second FIR," the petition reads.
Accusing that Khambhat police’s investigation is biased, manifestly arbitrary and grossly discriminatory, the petitioners haver urged the HC to direct the police to incorporate sections 153A, 153B, 295, 295A, 395 and 120B of IPC in the FIR lodged against those participated in the procession.
The petition has sought immediate arrest of people, and directions to the government to provide compensation to petitioners for the loss of their properties. They have also urged the HC to direct "departmental, civil and criminal action against erring officers responsible for non-transparent, unfair, discriminatory treatment in connection with both the FIRs".
