By IANS
New Delhi : Terming the week-long violent agitation by Gujjars in Rajasthan, which spilled over Monday to Delhi and its suburbs as "national shame", the Supreme Court Tuesday asked the police chiefs of Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to explain their inaction in containing the agitation.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the violent stir by Gujjar in support of their demand for a scheduled tribe status in Rajasthan, a bench of Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice D.K. Jain issued notice to them seeking their replies within ten days.
Asking the police chiefs to detail, in their affidavits, what action had been taken by them to contain the agitation, the bench said, "The affidavits shall also indicate if no action has been taken as yet, and if not, why?"
The bench also asked them to list in their affidavits, the actions they propose to take. The bench fixed June 18 to hear the matter and examine their replies.
Expressing concern over the widespread violence right in front of television cameras, the bench said, "It was a matter of national shame".
"It has come to our notice that in the last one week there has been large-scale destruction of public and private properties and no preventive action appears to have been taken. Unfortunately it does not prima facie appear that any action has been taken against the offenders who were responsible for destruction of such properties," the bench said in its order, while expressing concern over the police inaction.
Recalling a Kerala High Court ruling, upheld by the apex court earlier, the bench observed that "damages should be recovered from those people who destroyed the private and public properties" during the agitation.
The bench appointed senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan as amicus curiae to assist the court.
"As the electronic media shows the offenders feel that they have done some very heroic or laudable thing because they show their beaming faces when the TV camera is focused on them. At our request, Rajeev Dhavan, senior advocate, present in the court, has agreed to assist this court as amicus curiae," the bench said.
The bench requested Dhavan to ask the TV channels "to provide the footage of the telecasts to the police authorities as also to him so that appropriate orders can be passed in this matter."
Highways were blocked while train traffic was disrupted and life paralysed in Rajasthan for a week with the Gujjars agitating for Scheduled Tribe status. On Monday, the Gujjars called a daylong shutdown in the Indian capital.
The Gujjars called off their stir late Monday after the Rajasthan government promised to have their demand examined by a judicial panel within three months.