Can't make Thangadh probe report public: Guj govt tells HC

Gujarat government today told the high court that it cannot make the Thangadh police firing probe report public as it would breach the privilege of Legislative Assembly and may cause public disorder.
The reply by the government came during the hearing on a petition filed by the father of one of three Dalit youths, who were allegedly killed in the police firing in Thangadh town of Surendranagar district in 2012.
Though the government refused to make the probe report public by sharing its copy with the petitioner, Valjibhai Rathod, the state government expressed its willingness to share it with the court.

Following this, Justice J B Pardiwala told the government that the court does not wish to instruct the government to do so, but it can share the copy with the court if it wants.
Further hearing in the case has been scheduled on November 28.
Veljibhai Rathod, father of a 16-year-old victim Mehul Rathod, had filed the petition last month seeking a copy of the report, which was submitted to the government in 2012, but has not been made public.

In his petition, Rathod had said that the state government had asked the then Principal Secretary of Social Justice and Empowerment department Sanjay Prasad to conduct investigation into the killing of three Dalit youths in police firing.

The petitioner said the report was submitted by Prasad to the then chief secretary in 2012 itself, but the government was yet to disclose the content of the report.
The petitioner told the court that he himself sought the report under RTI, but the government refused to hand it over to him.
In its reply filed before the court, the government argued that the report submitted by Prasad is still under consideration and yet to be placed before the state Assembly.
The government argued that if the report is made public at this stage, it would be considered as the breach of privilege of Assembly.

The government said that in view of the recent dalit flogging incident in Una, it is not advisable to make the report public, as it may cause disorder.
Rathod's lawyer Anand Yagnik took strong objection to
government's unwillingness to share the report with his client. He contended that the government was trying to suppress the facts from a father, who wants to know under what circumstances his son was killed and who was responsible for it.
On the intervening night of September 22-23, 2012, three Dalit youths- Pankaj Sumra, Prakash Parmar and Mehul Rathod- were killed when police opened fire to disperse clashing members of Dalit and OBC Bharwad community at Thangadh town.

The state government had in August this year formed an SIT to probe the incident afresh after widespread protest by Dalits in the state. The government had also announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the family of each of those killed.