Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], October 21 (ANI): The sit-in protest staged by senior Congress leaders and workers at the Jaipur Police Commissionerate entered its third consecutive day, with party functionaries demanding the registration of a 'Zero FIR' over the alleged assault on National Students' Union of India (NSUI) National Secretary Ritu Barala.
To maintain law and order, a heavy police deployment remains in place around the commissionerate premises, with barricades erected to prevent unauthorised entry.
Earlier in the day, Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra questioned the police over the registration of an FIR in Delhi and demanded a copy of the case registered there.
“If an FIR has been registered in Delhi regarding the assault on Ritu Barala, then provide us with a copy of that FIR. We will head back home immediately. The FIR registered by the Delhi Police, ostensibly to harass these youngsters, cannot possibly cover the incident involving the assault on Ritu; the complainant and the accused cannot be the same person; that is simply not possible. Therefore, I believe that every argument or justification they are offering in their defence is entirely false,” said Congress President Dotasra.
Rajasthan Leader of Opposition (LoP) Tikaram Jully said the police should register a case if the complaint had not been registered in either Delhi or Rajasthan. He alleged that Barala had been beaten and hospitalised and was being forced to seek help from one place to another.
“If a case has already been registered in Delhi, then don’t register one here, but you are neither registering it in Delhi nor in Rajasthan; register it somewhere, at least! There are laws in this country, and provisions exist. It was you who enacted the law stating that an FIR can be registered anywhere in the country. A daughter of Rajasthan has been subjected to injustice; she was beaten, had to be hospitalised, and is now being forced from pillar to post, seeking help. If an FIR is registered, does that automatically mean the accused will be sent to the gallows or punished? Even after an FIR is registered, the investigation will still be conducted by the Delhi Police. Go ahead and investigate! We are merely asking for justice, yet you are acting in a dictatorial manner and misleading the public,” said Jully.
Jully also questioned the police over their refusal to register a Zero FIR, citing Section 173(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
“Police officials refuse to speak. Is this some kind of dictatorship? Under Section 173(1) of the BNSS, there is a provision that a ‘Zero FIR’ can be registered anywhere in the country. Haven’t you seen the video? Everyone has seen how the girl was treated by Delhi Police personnel. They are deliberately misleading the country and the state," Jully added.
Additional Commissioner of Police, Jaipur, Dr Ajay Singh, said the police had explained their legal position and maintained that a Zero FIR could not be registered in the case.
“We have presented our legal position. A Zero FIR is not possible because the victim has already submitted their grievance to the relevant police station. A Zero FIR is registered only when a victim is unable to approach the appropriate police station and instead files a complaint at a nearby police station,” DGP said, suggesting "Calling off this protest is a decision they will have to make."
Meanwhile, Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore criticised Congress leaders over the protest, arguing that the complaint should be pursued at the place where the alleged incident occurred. He also suggested approaching a court under Section 156, referring to Section 156(3) of the CrPC, now Section 175 of the BNSS, which allows a person to approach a Judicial Magistrate to order the police to register an FIR and start an investigation if the police refuse to act.
“I am truly astonished at the judgment of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leaders. An FIR is always registered at the location where an incident occurs. If, for any reason, the local Station House Officer or higher-ranking officials there are refusing to register it, there are plenty of other avenues available to get an FIR filed. Why did they choose Rajasthan? There are courts; for instance, they could have approached a court under Section 156 to have the matter referred to the police station. They ought to know this; the law is the law. If they don’t understand that, what can I possibly do about their lack of sense?" he said.
He also attacked the Congress leaders, alleging that their only intention is to create drama and grab headlines.
"Why do they want to create disorder in Rajasthan? It is nothing more than a political stunt, a drama staged solely to grab headlines. They want to cause trouble for Rajasthan. Why not file the complaint where the incident actually occurred? Instead, they are disrupting our festivities here. This is simply not right,” Rathore said. (ANI)
Rajasthan: Heavy police deployment as Congress protest at Jaipur police Commissionerate enters third day
