AAP seeks probe into role of political leaders during Jat row

NEW DELHI: The AAP today demanded that a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigating Team (SIT) should probe the alleged role of political leaders including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar during the Jat quota stir in Haryana.

The party also sought suspension of 90 officials for their alleged inaction during the agitation, which saw large-scale violence and destruction.

"The probe (by the Prakash Singh Committee) states that the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police were not assertive. The Chief Minister could not control the law and order in the state. It also shows that the riots were politically motivated and the Chief Minister's role is also under question," AAP leader Ashutosh alleged.

"We demand that a Supreme Court-monitored SIT should probe the role of the political leaders in violence, including Chief Minister M L Khattar.

"All the officers responsible for inaction should also be suspended," he said.

The Prakash Singh Committee report on Jat agitation has identified about 90 officials who indulged in "deliberate negligence" when violence hit Haryana, noting that in some areas "mayhem" was allowed for hours, with authorities allegedly "turning a blind eye" to loot and damage.

Detailing the situation during the height of the violence that took place in February, the Committee said in one instance a police official was so "scared" that he "ran away" while judicial officers rattled by the rampage even "took off their nameplates" outside their houses to save themselves from attacks.