Police atrocities: High Court orders police to register FIRs

The Gujarat High Court today directed officials of two police stations to file FIRs of police atrocities on local residents on August 25 and August 26 during the Patel quota agitation and transfer these cases to CID-Crime for further investigation.
Justice J B Pardiwala directed Ranip and Sola police stations to file FIRs, while hearing two petitions alleging police atrocities in the city.
The two applications seeking the court's intervention as well as compensation for losses suffered by victims due to police atrocities had come before the High Court.
Passing the order, Justice Paridwala said that the police should not harass complainants by any means.

Through his petition, one Haresh Patel, a resident of Vrindavan Society in Ranip area, submitted before the court that the police stormed into his society on August 26 and damaged vehicles parked there.
Patel also told the court that the police broke window glasses, air-conditioner units and other property without any provocation by residents.

He submitted that the police forcibly entered his house and damaged furniture worth Rs 1 lakh, adding that he wanted the state government to pay for the damages.
The second application was made by Hansaben Patel and Reeta Patel who are residents of Tulsi Bungalows on Vande Matram road in Sola area.

In their submission, they stated that the police tried to break the main door of their house on August 25, which has been captured by closed circuit television (CCTV) camera.
The women alleged that after the CCTV footage went viral and was aired by local television news channels, the police came looking for their house late at night and broke a CCTV camera as well as an electricity metre.