29 acquitted in 2017 Panchkula violence case

A local court has acquitted 29 people in a case related to riots in Panchkula in 2017, in the aftermath of the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.

More than 40 people were killed in the riots and a total of 152 cases were registered across Panchkula but there is no conviction so far.

The FIR in the present case was registered on the complaint of Assistant Commandant Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) Santosh Pandit on August 26. As per the complaint, 40 personnel of SSB were present at HAFED Chowk, Sector 2, Panchkula, on law and order duty. While controlling the mob of followers of Ram Rahim, they were attacked, leading to injury to seven personnel of the SSB company.

Charges were framed against the accused in 2019 for rioting, criminal intimidation, assaulting a public servant, violation of Section 144 of CrPC, criminal conspiracy, and Prevention of Damage to the Public Property Act.

Chief Judicial Magistrate, Panchkula, Ajay Kumar, said “none of those witnesses identified the accused either as assailants or the persons who did any vandalism or arson on August 25, 2017.”

The judgment dated April 9 added, “…there is no direct evidence available, which can connect the accused persons with the alleged commission of crime.”

It added, “Though prosecution is heavily relying upon the confessional statements of accused persons suffered in the police custody, whereby they allegedly admitted their guilt but aforesaid confessional statements cannot be admitted into evidence because of bar contained under Sections 25 and 26 of Indian Evidence Act.”