Jat stir: Hooda aide was in touch with rioters, says chargesheet

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s aide Prof Virender Singh played an “important” role in instigating people during the February 2016 Jat reservation violence, says the police chargesheet submitted against him and two others before a Rohak court recently. 

A TV channel had aired an audio clip on February 21, 2016, in which Prof Virender and Capt Man Singh Dalal (retd), spokesperson of Dalal Khap Chaurasi, could be heard having a conversation. Prof Virender was heard saying the protests were doing well in the Deswali belt but in Sirsa, despite promise of support by the INLD, “not even an ant is stopped”.

The conversation had taken place on February 18, 2016, the day riots started in Rohtak, claimed the chargesheet.

The call dump from February 12 to 25, 2016, reflected that Prof Virender and Capt Dalal had talked to people who put up the blockades and were supporting the protesters, said the chargesheet.

It claimed that till February 18, there was no blockade in Sirsa, but after the phone call, nine cases were registered during protests on February 20 and 21.

On March 17, 2016, the police seized the phone, which Prof Virender used allegedly to talk to Capt Dalal. The phone belonged to Jaideep Dhankar.

Dhankar had a phone number ******0222, which was used by Prof Virender to talk to Capt Dalal, having phone number ******0754. As per the chargesheet, on the analysis of the call details, it came to light that Dhankar was in direct contact with protesters and rioters in Rohtak and Sampla. He had talked to a number of people active in the protests in Sampla and outside gate no.2 of Maharishi Dayanand University (MDU), which the chargesheet claimed confirmed his involvement in mobilising the rioters.

Violence had taken place amid Jat reservation protests in Rohtak, Sonepat, Hisar, Bhiwani, Kaithal, Jhajjar, Jind, Panipat and other districts. In Rohtak alone, 1,202 cases were registered. There were four incidents of murders, one of loot, 58 robbery and 519 of rioting, while theft and related cases were numbered at 620.

The chargesheet claimed that both Capt Dalal and Prof Virender had told the TV channel that they had spoken to each other and the audio clip contained their voices.

The chargesheet alleged that being the political adviser of Hooda, Prof Virender had plotted the violence to gain political mileage. 

Chat aired on TV

A TV channel had aired an audio clip on February 21, 2016, in which Prof Virender and Capt Man Singh Dalal (retd), spokesperson of Dalal Khap Chaurasi, could be heard having a conversation. Prof Virender was heard saying the protests were doing well in the Deswali belt but in Sirsa, despite promise of support by the INLD, “not even an ant is stopped”