Ggn cop booked for faking evidence in cow smuggling case

GURGAON: Police on Saturday booked a sub-inspector and a selfproclaimedheadofacowvigilante group on charges of fabricating evidence and using false evidence in a case of cow smuggling.

The duo was also booked for wrongfulconfinement,falseinformation, obstructing public way, turning witnesses hostile and criminal breach of trust. The FIR wasfiledatSohnapolicestationon Saturday following an order from additional sessions judge Kumud Guglani.

Questioning cow vigilantism, Guglani had on December 15 orderedthefilingofanFIRagainst sub-inspector Manoj Kumar, investigating officer in the cow smugglingcaseandHarpalSingh, president of Sohna Gau Rakshak Dal.

The matter dates back to September 19, 2015, when a group of SohnaGauRakshakDalmembers claimedtohavereceivedinformation of a vehicle carrying cows from Palwal to Mewat for slaughtering. Harpal claimed that he, along with other dal members, formed a picket at Lakhuwas village and spotted and signaled to stopapickupvancomingfromPalwal side.

Harpal claimed that instead of stopping, the driver sped the vehicle and tried to run him and other dal members over. The driver, identified as UP resident Bihari Lal, then diverted the truck inside anearbyvillage,wherehisvehicle gotstuckinamuddypath.Thevillagers caught hold of the driver and beat him up.

A cow and two calves were recovered from the vehicle, the September FIR had mentioned.

Bihari was booked under section 307 (attempt to murder) and the Punjab Cow Slaughter Act at Sohnapolicestation.Hewaschargesheeted in November 2015 but had pleaded not guilty.

The court observed that the policecouldnotproduceanyindependent witnesses even though it claimedthatanumberofvillagers assaulted the accused. Finding statements of Harpal contradictory, the court declared him as a hostile witness.

“Harpal couldn’t explain how accused Bihari Lal attempted to run his pickup truck over the members of Gau Rakshak Dal,” the court observed in its order.

The court mentioned that a lot ofvitalingredientsweremissingin thecaseandthepolicehadfailedto establishanyevidencetobookthe accused for attempt to murder.

Inspector Yashbir Singh at Sohna police station said a case under sections 182, 194, 196, 211, 283, 323, 342, 406, 409 of the IPC has been filed.