‘Action as per HC order’
JUSTIFYING THE arrests of former Prime Minister VP Singh and Jan Morcha leader Raj Babbar, the Mulayam Singh Yadav government on Saturday said that the action was taken following a High Court order directing it to provide security to the Reliance Energy Generation Limited (REGL).
Briefing newsmen about the development, principal secretary (Home) SK Agarwal said the preventive arrests were made when the former Prime Minister and Babbar were on their way to Bazaar Khurd village in Ghaziabad to participate in a farmers’ agitation at the REGL site.
Agarwal said the government had received the High Court, order at around 1.30 am on Friday night. It was immediately sent to the Ghaziabad District Magistrate, who had served it on the former Prime Minister at his Delhi residence in the night.
The two-member bench comprising Justice Bhanwar Singh and Justice SN Shukla had passed the order at 11 pm on Friday.
The judges in their order said, “The petitioner (REGL) is aggrieved of inaction on the part of the State Government in matter of protection, which is being sought for the last one week. The petitioner has approached the State Government by moving several representations and praying for State protection to safeguard the company premises. The petitioner company with the help of the State Government had acquired 2100.58 acres of land for raising a power plant and State Government entered into an agreement with the petitioner’s company (which) had established its local unit and the same is functioning with the fenced boundaries. However, some organisations without the permission of the government propose to stage rally on the said land. The State is under an obligation to provide protection to the petitioner. Moreover, it is bounden duty of the State functionaries to maintain law and order at the site in question and also all around”. The court had directed the government to “provide all possible State protection to the company”.
Meanwhile, denying incident of police firing, Agarwal said constables and farmers were injured in stone pelting. He said local cops had been barred from carrying weapons with them while stopping the former Prime Minister’s entry into the State.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, denying incident of police firing, Agarwal said constables and farmers were injured in stone pelting. He said local cops had been barred from carrying weapons with them while stopping the former Prime Minister’s entry into the State.
{{/usCountry}}He said VP Singh’s cavalcade arrived on the border at around 12.45 pm and the DGP Bua Singh apprised him about the court order. However, for nearly one hour Singh stayed in his car. Later, the police took him into custody.
Agarwal said when the police went to the village to tell the people about the court order they attacked the cops. Again on Saturday morning there was clash between police and farmers at the spot.