Mandsaur firing: Commission gives clean-chit to police, no indictment of top officials

Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: The panel conducting probe into the firing on farmers in Mandsaur last year, has given a clean-chit to police. 

After a long probe, the Justice JK Jain commission did not indict the policemen who fired on the farmers, causing deaths of five persons.

The Commission held that in order to disperse the crowd and for self-defence, firing was necessary. The Commission hasn't indicted the officials--the then Collector Swatantra Kumar and SP OP Tripathi. 

It, however, mentions that the police and district administration didn't have proper intelligence network. Besides, it points out lack of coordination between the police officials and local administration. 

The incident had occurred on June 6, 2017. Several points have been raised in this report, which range from officiails' failure to understand the problems of farmers, lack of prompt action when farmers came on streets and delay in seizing rifles.

The policemen who fired include ASI B Shaji, constable Vijay Kumar, Arun Kumar, Constables Prakash, Akhilesh, Vir Bahadur, Hari Om and Nandlal. 

The Commission has begun its probe nearly three months after the firing. It recorded statements of over 211 witnesses. It is to be seen if the report gets presented in the upcoming Assembly session.