Madurai: Madras High Court bench here today ordered a CBI investigation into the September 11 Police firing on a rampaging crowd of Dalits that left six persons dead at Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu.
Passing orders on a batch of petitions, a division bench, however, refused to order any action against the District Collector and police officials, including SPs and DIG, saying they had only taken precautionary measures. Justice K N Basha and Justice M Venugopal directed the Investigating Officer to handover the entire case records to the Joint director of CBI within 10 days from the date of receipt of the court order.
Six persons died in the police firing after a crowd of Dalits indulged in violence following detention of their leader John Pandian while on his way to pay homage to Dalit leader Imanuel Sekar on his death anniversary at Paramakudi. The state government had ordered an inquiry headed by retired judge K Sampath into the incident.
The court passed the order while disposing of ten petitions filed among others by Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Tol Tirumavalavan, BSP and Dr Ambedkar Lawyer legal Protection Centre, demanding a CBI inquiry, registering murder cases against police officials responsible for the firing and enhancing the compensation. The judges made it clear that in ordering the CBI probe, the court had not reflected on the credibility of either the local police or the state government and it was only guided by the `larger requirements of justice`. "It is necessary to ensure that investigation should not only be fair but should also seen to be fair, in order to instil confidence in the mind of victims` relatives and general public," the Judges observed. PTI