Anandpal Singh
The Rajasthan government on Tuesday said it would recommend a CBI probe into the June 24 encounter in which gangster Anandpal Singh was killed. Rajput leaders subsequently called off their protest, which was likely to coincide with BJP chief Amit Shah’s visit to the state on July 21-23. Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria led the talks with the Rajput community leaders. Cabinet minister Rajendra Rathore and BJP MLA and state chief Ashok Parnami were also present. The Rajputs were represented by leaders of the Sangharsh Samiti, including Rajput Sabha chief Giriraj Singh Lotwara, Rajput Karni Sena founder-patron Lokendra Singh Kalvi, Jabar Singh, Dilip Singh, Bhanwarsingh Reta, Karnisingh, as well as Kalyan Singh Shekhawat, a relative of Surendra Singh who died in the July 12 violence at Anandpal’s village of Nagaur.
Surendra, 33, a resident of Malasar in Churu, had earlier been incorrectly identified by the police as Lal Chand Sharma of Haryana. Police officials claimed that Surendra had identified himself as Lal Chand Sharma to the doctors, perhaps to evade arrest, and that no identity card was found on him. At the meeting it was agreed that the state government would recommend to the CBI an inquiry into Surendra’s death in the violence a day before Anandpal’s cremation. Regarding related FIRs, it was agreed that the state government would undertake impartial investigation.
An agreement was signed on seven points during the meeting. These include: the state government will not create any “obstacles” in Anandpal’s elder daughter Charanjeet alias Chinu’s visit to India — she is a student in Dubai; there will be no nazarbandi (watch) on Shrawan Singh or his family — the police had encountered Anandpal at Shrawan’s home; a meeting will be arranged for family members of injured ERT commando Sohan Singh, who is undergoing treatment at Medanta hospital in Gurgaon — Sohan was injured in the Anandpal encounter. It was also agreed that the first post-mortem report would be provided to the family within 24 hours of their application, and that the state government would pay an ex-gratia sum to the kin of dead and the injured as per rules. With this, the Rajput leaders announced that they were withdrawing their protest since the government had agreed to all their demands.