Gujarat High Court seeks govt's reply on Junagadh flogging

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the state government on a PIL seeking an inquiry into the public flogging of Muslim men who were detained for their suspected roles in a case of rioting in Junagadh.

The division bench of acting Chief Justice A J Desai and Justice Biren Vaishnav issued the notice and posted the matter for further hearing on July 17. The bench refused requests for an early hearing.

The petitioner's lawyer A J Yagnik requested an early hearing while saying that due to alleged pressure, the victims were withdrawing their complaints against the policemen. Yagnik also claimed that the local court was not giving relevant documents. However, the bench refused to pass any direction.

The PIL has said that on June 16, eight to ten persons belonging to the Muslim community were detained by the Junagadh Police and were reportedly made to stand in front of Hazrat Gebanshah Pir Dargah at Majevadi in Junagadh town. They were “mercilessly flogged in public gaze” on charges of being part of the mob which was involved in stone pelting and injured several policemen including a Deputy Superintendent of Police. In the incident, a bystander was killed allegedly due to stone pelting.

A large number of people had assembled outside the dargah following the issuance of a notice dated June 14 asking for showing documents related to the ownership of the shrine. They said the notice was widely shared on social media which led to gathering fearing the demolition of the religious site.

A clash erupted between the mob and the police which led to rioting and the police arrested 174 people who were booked for murder, attempt to murder, unlawful assembly, arson and criminal conspiracy. Several video clips of masked men also surfaced showing them beating several men whose hands are tied outside the same dargah.

"The public flogging was caused by Junagadh Police only to set an example. It was meted out even before FIR was registered and victims of public flogging were formally arrested as an accused," the PIL has alleged. It claims that several video clips have surfaced showing "brutal public flogging" of the suspects by local police.

The PIL has been jointly filed by an NGO Lok Adhikar Sangh through its authorised person Manoj Shrimali and Minority Coordination Committee, Gujarat through Mujahid Nafees.