TMC MLA’S WIFE LATEST THAK-THAK GANG VICTIM
NEW DELHI: The wife of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA became a victim of a “thakthak gang” in south Delhi that stole her handbag, containing ₹1.86 lakh cash, a cellphone, a gold coin and some documents, from a car she was travelling in near the Defence Colony flyover on Friday afternoon.
A case of theft has been registered at the Lajpat Nagar police station and investigators are scanning CCTV cameras installed around the crime scene and the route taken by the took after the theft.
Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) RP Meena said that around 2.30 pm, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Om Prakash was patrolling the now scrapped BRT corridor when he came across Kanika Gupta, the wife of TMC legislator from Jorasanko in north Kolkata, Vivek Gupta.
Police said Kanika was on the Defence Colony flyover around 2.15pm when a motorcyclist signalled her driver and pointed at the car’s tyre. The driver stopped the car and came out to check the tyre when another biker threw engine oil on the hot bonnet of the car, police said.
“As Kanika was feeling suffocation, she came out of the car. A few seconds later, she found her handbag missing from the car’s seat. It contained ₹1.86 lakh, an i-Phone, one gold coin and some documents,” said DCP Meena.
The TMC MLA, who was previously a Rajya Sabha MP, did not respond to calls and messages seeking a comment.
Neeraj Santoshi
DEHRADUN: Dissatisfied with police investigation into an alleged custodial death of a prisoner in Haldwani jail in March, the Uttarakhand high court has transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The single bench of Justice Ravindra Maithani, in its 16page order, said the case lodged at Haldwani police station against the four jail guards should be “immediately transferred” to SP, Central Bureau of Investigation, Dehradun. “Investigating officer shall ensure that all the documents relating to investigation are handed over to SP, CBI, Dehradun within a period of three days.”
The HC also ordered that departmental action be considered to be taken against senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nainital who despite under legal obligation to lodge an FIR promptly did not lodge FIR and also without any authority under law directed an enquiry by Haldwani circle officer in a case of “custodial death”.
The court also ordered that the four accused - Devendra Prasad Yadav, head guard, Kriti Nainwal, Devendra Rawat, Harish Rawat- all guards - at Sub-Jail Haldwani be immediately transferred from there to some place outside the district, “so as to ensure fair investigation otherwise within those four walls of Sub-Jail Haldwani perhaps nobody will dare to speak the truth and only witness will be those stone walls which unfortunately cannot”.
The HC noted that the “FIR in the instant case was lodged …more than 45 days after death of a person in judicial custody. How can a fair investigation be ensured? Fair investigation and fair trial are necessary ingredients of right to life”.
The HC issued the order on Thursday but a copy of the order was made available on Friday.
On May 26, Nainital police registered an FIR against four jail guards on the charges of murdering Pravesh Kumar, an inmate in Haldwani sub-jail in March.
The case was lodged on the order of the chief judicial magistrate of Nainital. The inmate’s wife Bharti Devi had approached the local court in this matter, which directed police to file a case in the matter.
The jail inmate Pravesh Kumar, a resident of Kashipur, was arrested by Kashipur police on March 3, 2021 on the complaint of his wife in some family dispute.
On March 5, after the court’s order, the accused was sent to Haldwani sub-jail. On March 6, inmate’s condition deteriorated, and he was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.
This case took a dramatic turn on March 13 when Rahul Srivastava, another inmate released on bail from jail, informed Bharti Devi that her husband was beaten up in jail. He told Bharti that Pravesh had
A CASE HAS BEEN REGISTERED AT LAJPAT NAGAR PS AND INVESTIGATORS ARE SCANNING CCTV CAMERAS
COURT ORDERED DEPARTMENTAL ACTION AGAINST NAINITAL’S SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE
made noise in the jail, due to which, he was allegedly hit by lathi, punched by the jail guards.
After coming to know this, the deceased’s wife gave a written complaint to the SSP Nainital and district legal services authority Nainital, demanding a case is filed in the matter. Later, she approached the HC over the police inaction in the matter.
The HC order stated, “The instant case is not an ordinary case. Allegations are of custodial death. It is against Guards of Sub-Jail, Haldwani. Deceased entered in Sub-Jail, Haldwani hale and hearty with no wounds on his body. But, when he was taken out from Sub-Jail, Haldwani on March 6, 2021 and taken to Base Hospital, Haldwani, he was declared brought dead… according to the petitioner, she approached everyone in order to lodge the FIR …the SSP, declined to lodge the FIR…”
The HC also noted that the petitioner has reason to believe that she may not get a fair investigation at the hands of police.
“Is it ‘ties of brotherhood’ that the matter was not promptly lodged? Is it ‘ties of brotherhood’ that instead of lodging FIR, SSP Nainital ordered for inquiry by Circle Officer Haldwani? Is it ‘ties of brotherhood’ that CO Haldwani concluded after enquiry that the statement of eye witness Rahul Srivastava does not find corroboration? Is it ‘ties of brotherhood’ that CO Haldwani while recording its conclusion, even did not examine the doctor who conducted post mortem and noted the injury?” the order stated.