Gujarat Govt forms SIT to probe 2012 firing on Dalits

Ahmedabad, Aug 20 (PTI) Four years after three Dalityouths were killed in police firing in Surendranagar district,the BJP Government in Gujarat has decided to set up a SpecialInvestigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident, a move thatcame in the wake of outrage over Una dalit flogging incident. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani took the decision toconstitute the three-member SIT to investigate the incidentafter receiving several representations from Dalit leaders,including those from his party, an official release saidtoday. "Chief Minister Vijay Rupani took the decisionfollowing representations from Dalit leaders including cabinetminister Atmaram Parmar, former minister Ramanlal Vora, andRajya Sabha MP Shambhuprasad Tundiya," Minister of State forHome Pradipsinh Jadeja said in a press release. The Government would also form a special designatedcourt and appoint a special public prosecutor to expedite thecase and announced an additional Rs 2 lakh compensation to thenearest kin of the victims, over and above what was decidedearlier. The opposition Congress reacted cautiously to thedecision, saying it could turn out to be an "eyewash tomislead the people" and demanded that the Goverment table thereport of an earlier CID probe into the incident. On the intervening night of September 22-23, 2012,three Dalit youths–Pankaj Sumra, Prakash Parmar and MehulRathod–were killed when police opened fire to disperse aviolent mob to control a clash between Dalits and OBC Bharwadcommunity members at Thangadh town in Surendranagar district. The government had ordered a probe into the incidentand a report was submitted to it by the then principalsecretary of social justice and empowerment department, SanjayPrasad. The report has not yet been made public. The issue of Thangadh Police firing came in focus inthe wake of recent Una town Dalit flogging incident withopposition leaders and Dalit rights activists raking it upto target the BJP. At a rally held by Una Dalit Atyachar Padkar Samiti,which organised a march from Ahmedabad to Una, Dalit leadershave demanded justice to victims of Thangadh firing. Family members of victims of Thangadh had also goneon hunger strike in Gandhinagar, demanding a judicial probeinto the incident. Rajkot city police commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot,Surat city DCP Zone-2, Parikshita Rathod, and PorbandarSuperintendent of Police Tarun Kumar Duggal will be members ofthe SIT.(MORE) PTI KA PD DK NMGSN