Nobody identified 6 acquitted dera followers

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 1

While the Haryana Government was claiming that it was putting best efforts to ensure conviction of dera followers, who went on rampage in Panchkula in August last year, documents assessed by The Tribune reveal that nobody identified the six acquitted dera followers in the Panchkula court.

On Monday, The Tribune had reported that the Panchkula court had acquitted six dera followers in the dera violence case (FIR no. 415). This was the first case related to the dera violence decided by the court.

As per the documents submitted in the Panchkula court, there were 13 prosecution witnesses. Of the 13, the prosecution gives up on three witnesses and ultimately there were only 10 prosecution witnesses, who recorded their statements in the court.

Statements and cross-examinations of prosecution witnesses, which were assessed by The Tribune, reveal that four witnesses, including complainant Harpreet Singh, failed to identify dera followers. The statement and cross-examination of Harpreet Singh, who was the complainant and working as a cameraman with a news channel reads: “I cannot identify the person who snatched my camera”.

His cross-examination further reads: “I have seen the accused persons present in the court. I have never seen these persons on August 25, 2017, and today I have seen these persons in the court for the first time”.

Similarly, another witness, Surjit Singh, who was posted as a guard at Hartron Company, Sector 2, Panchkula, stated in his statement and cross-examination: “I cannot identify the persons who had committed the vandalism and arson”.

He even submitted that the persons, who went on rampage, were part of the mob but he couldn’t see their faces.

No witness identified persons in my investigation, says IO

In the cross-examination, Investigating Officer ASI Ilam Singh stated: “No recovery was ever effected by me. It is correct that during the alleged disclosure statements, many private persons were present in the court complex, but none joined the investigation as an independent witness. It is correct that during the investigation by me, no witness identified the present persons regarding their involvement in any of the crime”.

‘Mob broke glasses, windowpanes’

Neeraj Kumar, who was posted as a guard at HAFED, Sector 5, Panchkula, in his statement submitted: “On August 25, 2017, I was deputed in the HAFED building, Panchkula. On that day, dera followers turned violent after the CBI court order. The mob also broke glasses/windowpanes of our department and they were armed with deadly weapons like ‘stick’ and petrol”. In his cross-examination, even he did not identify accused persons.