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CBI files charge sheet in violence after slain gangster’s case
Earlier on June 24, 2017, gangster Anandpal Singh was killed in a police encounter in Churu district’s Malasar town.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday filed a charge sheet in the court of ACJM, CBI Cases, Jodhpur, against 24 accused in a case related to alleged riots and violence that occurred at Sanvrad, the native village of the slain gangster Anandpal Singh, in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district after he was killed in a police encounter on June 24, 2017.
The 24 accused against whom the case was registered are Lokendra Singh Kalvi, Sukhdev Singh Gugamedi, Hanuman Singh Khangta, Mahipal Singh Makrana, Yogender Singh Katar, Durg Singh, Ranjit Singh Mangla, Ranjeet Singh Gendia, Ranveer Singh Guda, Okender Rana, Charanjeet Singh Kanwar alias Cheenu, AP Singh, Seema Raghuvanshi, Giriraj Singh Lotwara, Mahavir Singh, Pratap Singh Ranawat, Prem Singh Banwasa, Bhanwar Singh Reta, Dilip Singh, Jabbar Singh, Mohan Singh Hattoj, Yunus Ali, Rajender Singh Gudha, and Ghanshyam Singh Tyod.
The accused have been booked under Section 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (hurting public servant), 353 (use of criminal force on public servant), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with a deadly weapon), 283 (obstruction or injury to any person in any public way) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and violation of Section 3 (committing mischief by doing any act in respect of any public property) and Section 4 (damaging public property by fore or explosive) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
Singh’s daughter Cheenu refused to comment on her name being included in the CBI’s charge sheet as among the 24 accused.
Earlier on June 24, 2017, gangster Anandpal Singh was killed in a police encounter in Churu district’s Malasar town.
Soon, violent protests erupted against the encounter in Sanvrad in which one person had died and over 30 were injured.
The state government had to send additional security forces and imposed a curfew to bring the situation under control.
Cheenu, the slain gangster’s lawyer AP Singh, and several Rajput leaders were booked on charges of rioting.
The CBI had registered a case on January 5, 2018, on the request of the Rajasthan government, at Jaswantgarh police station in Nagaur district.
The CBI had issued a statement that Singh had died on June 24, 2017, in an encounter with the police, but his body was not cremated and a prayer meeting was instead organised at Sanvrad in a bid to mount pressure on the state government to accept his supporters’ demands bringing the guilty to book for the fake encounter killing.
The CBI also alleged that one of the accused invited a large crowd to gather in the village to protest against Singh’s death.
The accused and his supporters also visited the police control room at Sanvrad Tiraha and threatened the local police administration to accept their demands.
While several people gave hate speeches to instigate the crowd. The angry mob also pelted stones at police vehicles, and many police personnel sustained injuries.
Some of the police personnel was allegedly held captive in a house and the mob also snatched their arms, including .9 mm service pistols, cartridges along with mobile phones and other items.
Nagaur’s superintendent of police’s (SP) official vehicle was also torched by the mob.
“A charge sheet has been filed after a thorough investigation. The findings are based on the probe and the accompanying evidence,” the CBI said in a statement.
