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Rajasthan: IPS officer allegedly targeted by BJP govt for acting against Bajrang Dal, VHP rioters

I was under tremendous "pressure from all level of governments" to let the rioters go free

Published: September 17, 2015 5:08 PM IST

By Mohammed Uzair Shaikh

Rajasthan: IPS officer allegedly targeted by BJP govt for acting against Bajrang Dal, VHP rioters

Jaipur, Sept 17: Former Bundi Superintendent of Police Pankaj Chaudhary was sent a chargesheet by the Rajasthan state government for adopting inaction in communal clashes which broke out in the past year in areas under his jurisdiction. But the the IPS officer has instead labelled retaliatory allegations against the Vasundhara Raje-government of deliberately targeting him since he refused to go soft on Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) rioters.

The riots broke out on September 12, 2014 in the districts Nainwa and Khanpur. A few days later, on September 21, Chaudhary was abruptly transferred. (ALSO READ: ‘NIA asking public prosecutor to go soft in terror cases unfortunate’)

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According to the IPS officer, he further alleged that he received “pressure from all levels of government” to release the apprehended saffron extremists and instead build false cases against Muslims instead. “Everything was planned, targets were fixed as to who would damage the bus, who would cause arson, etc. Soon, I started facing pressure from all levels of government, including senior police and administrative officials, to let the rioters go. I was under tremendous pressure to let the rioters go free and instead, register false cases against Muslims for inciting violence. But I resisted all pressure and refused. That is when the government removed me on September 21,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Replying to the charge of adopting inaction, the ousted officer said, “As the district SP, I led a team of policemen who rounded up 11 persons…some from the VHP, others from Bajrang Dal. All of them had criminal records. Five persons from the other side (Muslims) were also detained and questioned. If we had not acted, the situation would have escalated into a violent communal riot with serious repercussions.”

The sensational claims made by the the former Bundi SP, raises several questions against BJP. It consolidates the widespread notion that the party shields miscreants among the saffron forces and promote majoritarian communalism to further their interest.

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