Chandigarh: Haryana assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta on Thursday expressed his dissatisfaction over the probe report into the alleged gherao of chief minister M.L. Khattar outside the state assembly by nine Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLAs of Punjab.
Gupta expressed dissatisfaction over the probe report, submitted to him on Thursday, saying it neither fixed the responsibility nor pointed out the lapse leading to the incident.
The report was submitted to the speaker by a three-member probe panel which was set up by Haryana police chief Manoj Yadava on the directions of speaker Gupta. The panel comprised senior police officers of Haryana and Chandigarh.
“I have been handed over the investigation report. The report has described the incident as it happened on that day [March 10],” speaker Gupta said. “I, however, feel two-three things should have come in this report as to whether this incident could have been avoided, who was responsible for this security lapse and why no responsibility was fixed,” he said.
“Why no precautions or appropriate action was taken by the security officials despite the intelligence inputs two hours before the incident that the Akali MLAs could venture into Haryana Assembly premises?” he asked. “Should the area have been cordoned off to prevent the MLAs? I think responsibility should have been fixed for the lapse and action taken against those responsible as the matter pertains to the security of the chief minister,” he said.
He said after the incident, a meeting with DGP Haryana was held. “In the meeting, I asked Haryana DGP that the incident should be inquired by high-ranking police officers from both Haryana and Chandigarh, after which he formed a three-member committee, which submitted the report,” he said.
Over a week ago, nine SAD legislators from Punjab were booked for their alleged attempt to gherao Haryana chief minister Khattar outside the assembly here earlier this month.
The legislators who were booked included former ministers Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Bikram Singh Majithia. The SAD had termed the registration of the case against its MLAs an “unfortunate and undemocratic step”.
The SAD legislators had confronted Khattar outside the assembly hall on March 10, 2021 and had demanded that a resolution be passed in the Haryana Assembly against the Centre’s three new farm laws. Thereafter, the Haryana Assembly secretariat had decided to lodge an FIR against the group of Punjab MLAs for allegedly misbehaving with Khattar.
Speaker Gupta had condemned the incident and had informed the house that a group of SAD MLAs from Punjab allegedly tried to gherao and attack the Haryana chief minister outside the assembly hall last week when he was interacting with the media. Gupta had also spoken to Punjab Assembly speaker Rana K.P. Singh over the phone and urged him to take cognisance of the matter.