Patidar protest: HC directs CID to investigate custodial death of Patel youth

On Thursday, Justice J B Pardiwala had directed a fresh autopsy to be performed by a panel of four doctors, including the Head of Department of Forensic Science. Justice Pardiwala in his order stated, “The doctors have performed the postmortem and report reveals internal and external injuries…cause of death is shock and haemorrhage due to head injuries,” Justice Pardiwala noted in the order.

He said that the report makes it clear that it is a case which should be investigated properly. He ordered the Bapunagar police inspector to lodge an FIR and hand over it to CID (crime) officers. He said that the victim’s mother has alleged that police officers are responsible for the death and this angle should be deeply investigated.

When the petitioner’s lawyer requested the court to give the case to an IPS officer for investigation justice Pardiwala said, “There are many IPS officers across the country, what we need today is an honest officer. The officer concerned should be honest and should only concerned with the case.”

HC summons home secretary over Patidar protests

Meanwhile, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Jayant Patel of Gujarat High Court on Friday while coming down heavily on the state government directed the Director General of Police or preferably Home Secretary to appear before it post-recess on Friday to explain the violence which engulfed the state since August 25.

The division bench led by ACJ Patel was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO alleging police atrocities on public. The bench expressed its anguish over the newspaper reports on the violence and the manner in which the police tried to control it by resorted to brutal lathicharge on public, vandalizing their parked vehicles in societies and house breaks since August 25 night.

“How do you justify breaking houses and damaging vehicles. How do you propose to justify it. The violence has calmed down and we hope it calms down further. Put your officers in order. The state should ensure safety of citizen. We want some reports on how you monitored the incidents,” ACJ Patel told the Advocate General Kamal Trivedi.