Taking cognizance of the firing incident between former BJP MLA Pranav Singh Champion and his successor independent MLA Umesh Kumar, the Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday asked the Haridwar administration to present a detailed report on the incident before it.
The court also summoned Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police and DIG Garhwal to be present online with the details of past records of Kumar and Champion.
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Taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, a single bench of Nainital High Court Justice Rakesh Thapliyal termed this incident has earned bad name to Uttarakhand. The High Court ordered SSP Haridwar and DIG Garhwal to appear virtually in the next hearing on January 30 with the past records of the two politicians.
The High Court also sought a detailed report and FIR filed against both leaders.
The Nainital High Court took up the matter seeing media reports pertaining to gun fights between Kumar and Champion and videos going viral in social media.
Court termed the Sunday firing incident and its aftermath to be serious and damaging to the law and order of the state. It directed the Haridwar District administration to submit a detailed report on the incidents.
According to HC, public conduct by an Independent MLA and his BJP predecessor have damaged the image of the state.
HC asked the police and district administration to provide all video footage, newspaper clippings and photographs shown in social and electronic media related to the bedlam created by both Kumar and Champion on January 26. HC will take up the matter again on January 30.
Earlier on Monday Pranav Singh Champion was sent in 14-day judicial remand while Umesh Kumar and his supporters were granted bail by Haridwar court in the FIRs filed against them on republic day firing incident.
Champion and his supporters had attacked and fired 50 rounds at the camp office of Kumar in Khanpur area of Haridwar. Prior to that Kumar had on the eve of the Republic Day allegedly tried to enter Champion’s home in Roorkee and threatened his personal staff to kill them.
Champion was arrested by Haridwar Police from Dehradun on the day of incident and presented in the Haridwar Chief Judicial Magistrate(CJM) court on Monday. The CJM court sent him and his four supporters to 14-day judicial custody.
On the other hand sitting MLA Umesh Kumar and his supporters were granted bail as they appeared in the court on the charges of misuse of power and intentional insult to the family of Champion.
Meanwhile Haridwar District Magistrate Karmendra Singh has suspended the arms licenses of Champion, his son Divya Pratap Singh and Umesh Kumar based on a report submitted by the police.
