Chennai: A lawyer has approached Madras high court to direct CBI to probe into the police excess on the pro-jallikattu protesters on January 23.
Justice R. Mahadevan before whom the petition filed by B. Kumar, also state deputy secretary of Advocates Forum for Social Justice, came up for hearing, adjourned it to January 30. Petitioner’s counsel K. Balu submitted that students and youth had conducted peaceful protest at Marina against ban on jallikattu from January 17.
The state government had on January 20 promulgated an ordinance, amending the PCA Act. But the students wanted a permanent law for conducting jallikattu and continued their protest.
On January 23, the police made a request to the protesters to withdraw their protest as the government was going to enact legislation. But the students requested some time to discuss about the amended law. While so, violence broke out at the instigation of police and antisocial elements. Thereafter, the entire city came to a standstill and the normal life was paralysed on January 23, he added.
In his petition, Kumar contended that the situation handled by the police was totally different from the law laid down by this court and the Supreme Court in respect of dispersal of mob. The action of the police was against constitutional mandates and the police standing orders.
The police claimed the violence was unleashed by antisocial elements in the name of students. But, the violence was instigated by the police, he added.
In the interest of justice the investigation has to be conducted by the CBI, he said.
