E-Paper
Gonda murder: Investigating officer changed 14 times in six years, govt orders probe
The Chief Minister's office has launched an inquiry into a Dalit murder case in Gonda district, which has seen 14 changes in investigating officers over six years. Fraudulent thumb impressions of the deceased's wife have been used to manipulate legal documents and change officers. Despite efforts, all accused individuals remain at large.
LUCKNOW The chief minister’s office has initiated a comprehensive inquiry into the perplexing case of a Dalit murder in Gonda district, which has seen a shocking 14 changes in investigating officers over the span of six years. This alarming situation emerged amidst allegations of fraudulent thumb impressions of the deceased’s wife being used to manipulate legal documents and change investigation officers.
Sanjay Prasad, the principal secretary to the CM, penned a letter on September 29 of this year, directing the Director General of Police, Vijay Kumar, to launch an investigation and furnish a report to the Chief Minister’s office. This decision followed a letter from Sunderpati, the wife of the deceased, Ramai, on September 27, bringing attention to the issue.
The Case Unveiled
The murder of Ramai, a native of Pakari village in Gonda district, occurred on June 5, 2017. Subsequently, an FIR was filed at Tarabganj police station, naming four individuals, including Radhey Shyam Dubey, Vishu Shanker Dubey, Kalut, and Mohar Ali.
Initially, the first probe report was handed over to the Circle Officer of Tarabganj. Following this, under the directive of the Superintendent of Police in Gonda, the case was passed to circle officer Mankapur, Vijay Anand, and later to Circle Officer Tarabganj, Brahma Singh.
Prompted by the family’s complaints regarding the frequent change of investigating officers, the matter was brought to the attention of the National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC). After acknowledging this issue, the Inspector General of Police for the Gorakhpur zone entrusted the investigation to Circle Officer Basti district, Satish Chandra Shukla.
Subsequently, the case saw a series of transfers, shifting from Circle Officer Kalvari in Basti district to Circle Officers Nanpara and Bahraich in Bahraich district. On August 27, 2018, the NCSC directed the transfer of the investigation to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) after uncovering the troubling frequency of changes in investigating officers.
CB-CID Investigation and Chargesheet Acceptance
Following the directive from the NCSC, Deputy Superintendent Pramod Kumar of the CB-CID assumed control of the investigation. However, it is astonishing that even within the CB-CID, eight different investigating officers were rotated during the course of the inquiry.
Chargesheet Accepted
The Inspector General of Police in the CB-CID acknowledged the chargesheet on May 31, 2022, subsequently forwarding it to the state government. The chargesheet was filed in Gonda’s district court, and diligent efforts were made to apprehend the accused individuals. Regrettably, these efforts proved fruitless. Consequently, the task of apprehending the accused individuals in the murder case was handed over to the then Additional Superintendent of Police, Rachna Mishra.
Court Mandates Seizure of Property
Despite a court order issued by the Gonda district court to apprehend and seize the property of the accused individuals, fraudulent documents containing the thumb impressions of Sunderpati, the deceased’s wife, were submitted to the state government, requesting yet another change of the investigating officer. Ultimately, Rachna Mishra was removed from the case, and the responsibility was passed on to two additional Circle Officers, one after another, until March 30, 2023. Alas, to date, all accused individuals remain at large.
