State quizzed on Russian conversion

Should a complaint made by a Russian and others about an attack on them at a Zoroastrian religious institution in February 2010 be investigated by an independent agency like Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)? This is a question the Bombay high court has asked the state government.

The Russian, Mikhail Chistyakov, was apparently undergoing rituals to become a Zoroastrian priest at an institute near Sanjan on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border in February 2010 when a group, allegedly from Mumbai, stormed the place and stopped
the ceremony. 

Chistyakov and Mumbai-resident Meher Master-Moos who runs the Zoroastrian College had petitioned the high court with two prayers. While one prayer said that since the local police had not properly inquired into the incident, an investigation into the incident should be done by an independent agency like the CBI. 

On May 2, justice AM Khanwilkar and justice Mridula Bhatkar said that unless the main respondent in the petition - the state - is given an opportunity to counter the claim made by the petitioners, it is not possible for the court to examine that charge. The court  directed that a notice be issued to the state asking whether the complaints made by the petitioner should be investigated by n independent agency.

The second prayer was that the petitioners should be given police protection whenever they apply for the service. The assistant public prosecutor representing the state informed the court that the petitioners have not approached the authorities so far with a request for police protection.