The special investigation team (SIT), constituted to investigate the violence on the day of polling on May 13 and post-poll violence in the state, found lapses in the probe by the police, officials familiar with the matter said on Monday.
Inspector general of police (special investigation bureau) Vineet Brij Lal, who headed the 13-member SIT, submitted a 150-page report to director general of police Harish Kumar Gupta on Monday, describing the violence in three districts – Palnadu, Anantapuramu and Tirupati – as extremely serious in nature.
The report would later be sent to the ECI for further action, an official statement from the SIT said.
The SIT was constituted by the DGP on the direction of the Election Commission to review the investigation of offences in which major incidents of violence occurred on the poll day and post-poll period, impacting law and order in Palnadu, Tirupati and Anantapur.
According to the statement, the SIT noticed that most of those incidents were extremely serious in nature because multitudes of miscreants brazenly participated in the offence such as pelting stones indiscriminately, which potentially could lead to serious injury or even death.
The SIT identified several lapses in the investigation and gave clear instructions to the investigation officers (IOs)for compliance at the earliest. Special teams were formed to identify and apprehend the accused at district level.
{{/usCountry}}The SIT identified several lapses in the investigation and gave clear instructions to the investigation officers (IOs)for compliance at the earliest. Special teams were formed to identify and apprehend the accused at district level.
{{/usCountry}}“The investigating officers were instructed to file a memo in the concerned courts for adding appropriate sections of law to the existing sections. They were further instructed to collect digital evidence like CCTV footage, videos, etc., arresting accused and filing of charge sheet at an early date,” the SIT statement said.
The statement said the SIT was divided into four sub-teams, each team headed by one deputy superintendent of police. While two teams were deployed in Palnadu district, one team each was sent to Anantapur and Tirupati districts.
“Based on the intensity of major incidents of violence occurred on poll day and post-poll days, a total of 33 cases were identified in these three districts – 22 cases in three assembly constituencies of Palnadu, seven cases in one constituency in Anantapur and four cases in two assembly constituencies in Tirupati,” the SIT said.
It said the sub-teams had camped in their respective designated districts and thoroughly reviewed the cases identified regarding investigation done so far by going through the record, visiting scene of offences, interacting with the IOs and aggrieved persons and verifying the physical evidence collected so far.
They also recorded witnesses’ statements and inquired into whether appropriate sections of law applied or not, whether all incidents were registered as cases or not, whether accused identified or not and arrested or not.
“In all these important 33 cases, as many as 1,370 members were cited as accused in the FIRs. Among them, 124 were arrested and notices were issued to another 94 accused so far. The SIT has directed the investigating officers to ensure completion of pending arrest at the earliest,” the statement said.
During the field visits, the SIT received representations from various aggrieved persons and is verifying the facts for further necessary action, the statement added.