PIL seeks judicial inquiry into Saharanpur violence

The Allahabad High Court today directed the Uttar Pradesh government counsel to seek instructions on a PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the recent violence in Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice D B Bhosle and Justice M K Gupta passed the order on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Ramendra Nath, who has also urged that at least one member of the inquiry commission must be from the Scheduled Castes.
The petitioner has sought resumption of mobile internet and messaging services in the western UP district, which were suspended last week in the aftermath of a fresh round of inter-caste violence.

Besides, the petitioner has demanded that action be taken against those found guilty of inciting violence.
It was submitted by the state government that a Special Investigating Team (SIT) has been set up by the Yogi Adityanath administration to probe the entire episode.
The court fixed July 10 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

Trouble had erupted on May five in Shabbirpur village where an upper caste youth was killed in violence that followed Dalits objecting to a procession that was being taken out to mark the birth anniversary of Rajput king Maharana Pratap.
A few days later, members of Dalit group Bheem Army torched a number of vehicles after their request for holding a "mahapanchayat" was turned down by the administration.

The district witnessed a fresh violence last week both before and after a visit to Shabbirpur by Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati.