In a scathing report, Jhajjar deputy commissioner (DC) Anita Yadav has blamed the then Superintendent of Police Sumit Kumar of acting like a “coward” as the law and order situation deteriorated following the violence during the agitation by the Jat community in February in Haryana. This comes barely two weeks after the Rohtak District and Sessions judge had submitted a report in the Punjab and Haryana High Court detailing how the police personnel simply refused and failed to protect judicial officers during the agitation. The DC, in her report submitted in the High Court, has stated that in a sheer act of cowardice, the police personnel were ordered by seniors to shift with their arms and ammunition to the police lines. Sumit Kumar was transferred as Kaithal SP on 1 March. “All the chowkis/police stations were informed to shift their articles, asla (arms and ammunition) and wireless sets along with staff to police lines which proves the failure of the then Superintendent of Police to manage/control the situation. Shifting of asla from police chowkis/police stations was cowardice on his part as the police station is supposed to be the safest place of any town and this act demoralised the police force and encouraged the agitators,” claimed Anita Yadav, DC of Jhajjar, which was one of the worst affected districts during the Jat agitation. She has not only blamed the police, but also her seniors for the deterioration of the situation in the district.
She has said that the position of availability of police force was anyway “pitiable” as many personnel had been moved to adjoining Rohtak. “For providing the same, I made repeated requests to all my seniors through emails, letters and telephonic calls, but no response was received up to evening of 20 February,” she has stated.
“I was compelled to telephonically convey the facts regarding the situation of scarcity of force to the chief minister.” The CM, according to her, took immediate action and forces were provided the next day.
The officer, however, claimed that no laxity was shown in providing security to judicial officers. “Even in such circumstances of shortage of police force, security/gunmen provided to judicial magistrates and court complexes, were not withdrawn/disturbed,” she has stated.