Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a magisterial probe into the recent violence during panchayat elections in Nainital and Betalghat.
He also transferred two police officers out of Nainital district and said the Kumaon Division Commissioner would submit a report within 15 days. All FIRs filed in these cases will now be investigated by the Crime Branch, CID.
The move came after the Uttarakhand High Court expressed concern over law and order in the state and questioned the role of the police. The court has summoned the home secretary and the DGP on August 22 regarding a petition on the alleged violence in the elections.
In view of the firing and clashes in Betalghat, Dhami ordered the transfer of the Bhawali Circle Officer and the Tallital SHO. He stressed that the state government would not compromise on law and order and strict action would be taken against those found guilty.
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Congress MLAs protest ‘rigging’ in panchayat polls
Uttarakhand Congress MLAs continued their protest on Tuesday, demanding an immediate discussion on the alleged rigging in panchayat poll and the state’s worsening law-and-order situation.
The protest began on the first day of the Monsoon session of the state Assembly and continued even after the House was adjourned for the day. Congress MLAs sat on a dharna inside the assembly hall.
Badrinath MLA Lakhpat Singh Butola said Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan had met the protesting legislators, and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had also spoken to them over the phone. But the MLAs decided to continue their sit-in, saying they had not received a satisfactory response.
Independent MLA from Haridwar, Umesh Kumar, also joined the protest.
Earlier in the day, Congress MLAs created an uproar in the assembly, forcing repeated adjournments of proceedings.
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