Probe Panel Finds Police Deserted Posts During Jat Quota Agitation

The panel has prepared a list of police officials who deserted their posts and were absent during the Jat stir.

Police desertions forced the state government to seek the help of paramilitary sources and the Army. (Photo: IANS)

The probe into the agitation that shook Haryana in February has heard testimonies that confirm that a section of the police force rebelled during those three days of the agitation. According to The Indian Express, they deserted their posts and ignored orders.

The number of deserters belonging to the Jat community was in hundreds, highly placed sources said, with the maximum in the worst-affected Jhajjar and Rohtak districts. On an average, the Prakash Singh panel found, 60-70 policemen deserted their posts in each district, even as mobs comprising Jats went on the rampage, burning shops and houses as well as torching police stations and police posts.

<a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/jat-agitation-probe-policemen-joined-protesters-2758204/">Report</a> in <i>The Indian Express</i>

The panel, led by retired IPS officer Prakash Singh, has prepared a list of deserters with their names, ranks, belt numbers, places of postings and the days on which they remained absent from their posts. Their desertions forced the state government to seek the help of paramilitary sources and the Army.