KOTKHAI CASE: CHARGESHEET FILED BY CBI
KOTKHAI CASE Policemen charged with murder, criminal conspiracy and disappearance of evidence; Suraj’s body had 32 torture marks, says challan
SHIMLA : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday submitted the chargesheet against eight police officials arrested after the custodial death of one of the accused of the Kotkhai gangrape and murder in July.
The chargesheet was presented against inspector general of police (IG) Zahur H Zaidi and seven other police officials arrested on July 29 following the death of accused Suraj Kumar, a Nepalese.
The challan, however, has raised questions over Suraj’s postmortem which was conducted by Himachal Pradesh Police and experts from Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Shimla, on July 19.
The challan revealed that the Suraj’ s body had 32 torture injury marks while the postmortem (conducted by police) report said that the body bore 22 injury marks. The CB I had re-examined the body in presence of experts from All India Institutes of Medical Sciences( A II MS ), New Delhi, on July 25.
Then Shimla senior superintendent of police DW Negi was arrested on November 16 but the ch allan against him has not been presented yet. In the challan, the CBI has charged the accused under the Sections 302 (murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 348 (wrongful confinement to extort confession), 330 and 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort con- fession), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing ),201( disappearance of evidence )195( false evidence) and 196( evidence known to be false) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In custodial death case ,50 witnesses have been listed asperthe CBI’s 500-page challan filed on Saturday.
The investigating agency produced all nine cops in the court and extended their judicial custody. However, no one has appeared on behalf of the accused arrested.
The district bar association had passed are solution that none of its members would plead the case of the accused of the gangrape and murder inKotkhai that sent shockwaves across the hill state and triggered arson in the town.
The association will review its decision on Monday.
S ur ajh addie din custody at the Kotkhai police station onJuly18.
On the Him ac hal Pradesh high court’ s July 19 order, the CB I had registered two cases and took charge of the investigation into the rape and murder case registered on July 6.
The body of a school girl was found in a forest of Hal aila village and the medical examination confirmed she was raped before being murdered.
A case was registered under Sections 302 (murder) and 376 (rape) of the IPC and Section 4 of the POCSO Act.