‘Mamman Khan nominated as accused in Nuh violence FIR’: Haryana govt tells HC

Fearing arrest in connection with the Nuh violence, Khan had filed a petition in the High Court that came up for hearing on Thursday. In his petition, Khan had sought directions to the Haryana government to constitute a high-level special investigation team (SIT) comprising officers not below the rank of inspector general of police and to transfer cases pertaining to incidents of Nuh violence to the SIT with “further direction that the SIT would work independently, objectively and will not share its investigation with the political executive”.

Khan also sought directions to the investigating agency “not to take any coercive steps” against him “during the pendency of the investigation”.

Haryana’s Additional Advocate General Deepak Sabharwal said, “He (Mamman Khan) had two main prayers – Special Investigation Team should be constituted and no coercive action should be taken against him in the meantime. From Haryana government’s side, we submitted in the court that Mamman Khan has been nominated as an accused on September 4. The court was told that after evidence against him, which was properly evaluated and when prima facie his role came to fore; only then he was nominated as an accused. After going through Haryana government’s submission, the court has said that after this prima facie evidence, he should avail legal remedies as per law. It depends upon him what legal remedies he wants to explore.”

Khan’s counsel Arshdeep Cheema said, “The court was informed by the Haryana government that he has been nominated as an accused. We shall explore what legal remedies we need to explore. As far as our prayer of constituting an SIT in the case is concerned, a notice has been issued to the Haryana government.”

The case shall be next heard on October 19.

In his petition, Khan raised “apprehensions” that he would be falsely implicated and arrested by the police.

“Since the state government failed to control the outbreak of violence and was blamed by all sides for its mishandling, (it) is now attempting to transfer the blame on its political opponents by falsely implicating the petitioner in the instant case,” Khan stated in his petition.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij had earlier said, “Violence erupted in all the places that Mamman Khan visited on July 28, 29 and 30.”

Refuting Vij’s claims, Khan gave his day-wise schedule in the petition. “The petitioner was at his residence at Gurugram from July 26 till August 1 and did not go to the places where violence broke out during these days,” the petition said.

Khan’s petition also listed in detail his whereabouts from July 28 till August 1. He has also submitted CCTV footages corroborating his claims about his presence at certain locations on the given dates.

In his petition, Khan also accused the government of indulging in a blame game “to divert attention of people from the failure of the government to prevent the occurrence (Nuh violence)”.

Referring to an FIR about the attack on a liquor vend in which a few people were arrested, Khan said in his petition that he was “shocked to receive a notice under Section 160 CrPC dated August 25 requiring his presence in connection with the same FIR”.

“The petitioner was further shocked to hear and read the statements of the high functionaries of the state, including the home minister and the chief minister, who made statements to the press regarding the involvement of the petitioner and further alleged that he in fact was the mastermind of the occurrence,” the petition said.