: A report by the Peoples’ Tribunal, set up by the Sadbhavna Manch — a civil society initiative to look into the Jat agitation in February, has said that there exists a wide schism between communities.
The Tribunal had held 25 public hearing in seven districts most-affected by the violence. Around 181 witnesses deposed before the commission. The report was released at DRDA Hall of Rohtak in presence of some 300-strong gathering.
Sticking to their story
Releasing the “Jan Ayog Report- Haryana Jat Arxan Andolan Farvari 2016”, the Tribunal members — headed by Retd. IPS and former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai — underscored the need to punish the guilty and rehabilitate the victims to secure lasting peace and fraternity in the State.
Though the commission in its report said that there was a wide division between the Jat community and others, it also said that there were honourable exceptions, where people owned up to the ill deeds of members of their own community.
But, mostly there was total defence of their own community, said the report.
The Jat community argued that it protested peacefully for its legitimate demands and that their community is not responsible for all the arson and violence that took place.
Representatives of the so-called “35 birdari” on the other hand refused to accept that the so-called ‘OBC’ brigade had any role in aggravating the already serious situation,said the report.
Official report criticised
The Prakash Singh committee report, which was released recently, and sought to identify lower-level bureaucracy for the mayhem, also came under criticism
It was argued that the State apparatus vanished for days and could not have been caused by a “few black sheep in the administration”.
