Jat violence: Bhupinder Singh Hooda's aide asked to join probe by tomorrow

Chandigarh: Haryana Police has asked former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's close aide Virender and another person, who had been booked in Rohtak on sedition charges for trying to incite violence during the Jat quota agitation, to join investigation by tomorrow.

"They have been issued notice and given time till February 28 to join investigation," Rohtak Superintendent of Police (SP) Shanshak Anand said today.

Police had on February 24 booked Virender, a Congress leader, and Man Singh Dalal on sedition charges after a 90-second audio clip of their purported conversation which revealed their attempt to incite violence during the Jat agitation, had gone viral on social media.

An FIR was registered against Virender and Dalal under IPC sections 124 A (sedition), 120 B (conspiracy), 153 A (promoting enmity between classes) and 153 B (imputation, assertion prejudicial to national integration). The FIR was registered on a complaint by Pankaj Kumar, a Bhiwani resident.

Virender has accepted that the voice in the clip was his but alleged the conversation has been "doctored". He maintained he did not talk about instigating Jats or anyone. Congress had served a show-cause notice on Virender after the audio clip came to fore.