Jallikattu panel denies police excess

“There is no truth in this charge against the police. They just visited the house of some witnesses, but did not threaten them. They just wanted to find out whether only genuine persons, summoned by the commission, will depose before it. After the issue was taken to the knowledge of senior police officials, this practice was also stopped,” said Justice Rajeswaran in Coimbatore on Wednesday.

Stating that former Coimbatore City Police Commissioner A Amalraj has been summoned and is likely to depose on Thursday, Rajeswaran said that a Deputy Commissioner, two Assistant Commissioners and seven cops have been summoned for inquiry. In total, summons have been issued to 20 witnesses for inquiry which will be held for three days.

“Eight witnesses were summoned on Wednesday and of them, six appeared before the commission to testify,” he said. In August last year, 20 were summoned but only 15 appeared. In November, just eight out of 31 persons testified in Coimbatore.

Rajeswaran said that it may take a year to complete the probe into the outbreak of violence during jallikattu protests. Of the 888 witnesses in Chennai, 132 persons have been inquired, while in Madurai 100 out of the 960 witnesses had deposed before the commission.