Four days after a 30-year-old woman police officer was killed in a mysterious road accident, the Assam police on Saturday said it has decided to hand over the investigation of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) due to “public sentiment and for an impartial probe”.
Junmoni Rabha, a sub-inspector in-charge of Morikolong police outpost in Nagaon district, was killed in a suspected road accident on the early hours of May 16 when her private car, which she was believed to be driving, had a collision with a truck coming from the other direction at Jakhalabandha in the same district.
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“We reviewed the case on Friday and apprised chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma about it. He expressed anguish and displeasure at the developments. At present, we have four cases related to the death and as police chief I have decided to recommend transfer of all these cases to CBI,” director general of police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh told journalists in Guwahati.
The four cases that would be transferred to CBI are, one related to fake currency registered at Nagaon on May 5 in which Rabha was the investigation officer, another lodged at Lakhimpur district on May 15 against Rabha on charges of extortion and dacoity, the third lodged on May 16 related to the accident in which she died, and the fourth registered on May 19 by Rabha’s mother alleging that she had been murdered.
{{/usCountry}}The four cases that would be transferred to CBI are, one related to fake currency registered at Nagaon on May 5 in which Rabha was the investigation officer, another lodged at Lakhimpur district on May 15 against Rabha on charges of extortion and dacoity, the third lodged on May 16 related to the accident in which she died, and the fourth registered on May 19 by Rabha’s mother alleging that she had been murdered.
{{/usCountry}}“These cases have been transferred to CBI based on two grounds. First, public sentiment desires and demands that, and second, since one of our own police officers have lost life it is appropriate that the case is investigated by a neutral agency. In addition to that, we have decided that all officers connected to Nagaon and Lakhimpur districts shall be transferred on Saturday,” Singh said.
The DGP said that he was informed about Rabha’s death, the case registered against her and the one being probed by her only after her death on May 16. He said had they been aware of them (the two cases lodged prior to the accident) earlier, Rabha’s death could have been “avoidable”.
On Thursday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated that if Rabha’s family wasn’t satisfied with the CID probe, the case would be handed over to CBI. The Opposition Congress had also demanded that the case should be given to the central agency.
Following her death, her family members had alleged that there was foul play and it was a ‘premeditated murder’. On Friday, Rabha’s mother Sumitra lodged a first information report (FIR) alleging the same.
Suspicion grew after an eyewitness claimed that Rabha’s car was stationary when it was hit by the truck. Later, the postmortem report suggested injury marks on back of her head, and a leaked phone call of a police driver suggested that she might have been killed prior to the accident.
Following her death, the case was handed on Tuesday to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police to probe the death as well as another case of alleged extortion, dacoity, wrongful confinement and criminal conspiracy lodged against Rabha at Lakhimpur district a day prior to her death.
“CID has been investigating the case since May 16 and will continue to do so till CBI formally starts their investigation. The decision to hand over the case to a central agency doesn’t question the professional capability of CID. Since the case is being handed over to CBI, it would be improper to comment on the investigations till date,” Singh said adding that the state government would accept the outcome of the CBI probe.
The DGP said that senior police officers including the police chiefs of Nagaon and Lakhimpur districts, Leena Doley and BM Rajkhowa, and all officers involved in the cases would be removed from their posts in the interest of a fair probe.
On Friday, four officials from both districts who were connected to the cases had been “reserve closed” (meaning they won’t be able to carry out professional duties while investigations against them are on.
Rabha’s death had revealed the existence of big rackets involved in fake Indian currency notes (FICN) and of duping people with fake gold and alleged police involvement in the nexus, which Rabha was also stated to be probing. Singh said that a massive exercise will be undertaken to root out both crimes.
“On Friday night, we arrested 71 people involved in both these rackets from across Assam and recovered some cash and fake gold. I assure people of Assam that in the next 30 days both these crimes will be completely decimated from the state,” the DGP said.
“I have a message to all police personnel across the state. I shall be ruthless against any police officer found involved in any activity which is criminal in nature. If anyone is involved in such acts, it’s their own responsibility,” he added.
Singh said that the role of Runa Neog, the additional superintendent of police of Lakhimpur district, in the alleged nexus between fake currency and fake gold traders with police, is being probed separately by inspector general (law and order) Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan.
Following Rabha’s death it had come to notice that Neog was in the same post for the past eight years. On Saturday, DGP Singh stated that within the next few days all police officers who have been posted at one place for three years or more will be transferred to new places.
Rabha was in the news last year after she was arrested on charges of corruption and financial irregularities. This happened after she got her fiancé arrested in May last year accusing him of cheating. Rabha was later granted bail and she resumed regular duties.
The police officer was in the news in January last year as well when she alleged that a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, Amiya Kumar Bhuyan, had threatened her over phone—an audio clip of the conversation had got leaked and went viral on social media.