Shimla, June 17 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to BJP state chief Rajiv Bindal along with party MLA from Paonta Sahib Sukhram Chaudhary and asked the police not to take coercive action against them in an attempt to murder and unlawful assembly case registered against them in connection June 13 violence.
Justice Virender Singh granted relief to Bindal and Chaudhary, who have alleged that the case is politically motivated.
The court directed the police “not to take any coercive action” against them. The case will now be listed on June 24.
Sirmaur police had booked the BJP leaders and several others on the charge of attempt to murder in connection with Friday’s stone-pelting incident in which over 10 people, including police personnel, were injured.
The incident took place during protests over the alleged elopement of a Hindu woman with a Muslim man. Agitated Hindu organisations assembled at Majara on Friday (June 13) and started marching towards the house of the man with sticks and sharp-edged weapons.
Stone-pelting started thereafter by two groups in which police personnel were also injured. Four persons have already been arrested in the case.
Prohibitory orders were issued in four villages — Kiratpur, Malion, Fatehpur and Missarwala – in the Paonta Sahib area till June 19 under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) after Friday evening stone pelting incident.
On June 4, the 19-year-old Muslim youth from Kiratpur village allegedly eloped with the 18-year-old girl from the nearby village falling under the jurisdiction of Majra police station. The girl’s family members lodged a complaint of abduction with the police.
However, the police found the girl on June 14 (Saturday) and a video made by her on June 12 went viral in which she said she was 18 years old and had willingly come with the boy. She also requested SP Sirmaur not to take any action in case her family files any complaint against the boy and his family.
Taking strong exception to the cases filed under Section 109 of BNS (attempt to murder) against him, BJP MLA Chowdhary and others by the Sirmaur police, Bindal alleged that the case was politically motivated and the government was conspiring to finish political opponents.
He said instead of filing cases against the man and the woman and persons who pelted bricks on the protesters, police were raiding the houses of Hindus, intimidating them and an atmosphere of fear gripped the villages.
Meanwhile, state Industries Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan slammed the BJP and said it was politicising the incident. He said the opposition party and social organisations must refrain from giving religious colour to such incidents. PTI BPL RT RT
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