E-Paper
SHO, 9 others booked for murder of Rajasthan RTI activist
All the 10 accused have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
A police official and nine others have been booked for the murder of a 42-year-old RTI activist in Rajasthan’s Barmer district on Sunday after a complaint by the victim’s mother, officials said on Monday.
All the 10 accused have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Jagdish Goliyar, a resident of Barmer, died on Sunday while in custody of Pachpadra Police.
Barmer’s superintendent of police Sharad Choudhary said the station house officer (SHO) of the Pachpadra police station, Saroj Choudhary, has been suspended and all 22 policemen have been sent to the police line in Barmer.
Sharad Choudhary said Goliyar’s mother Varju Devi filed a complaint, alleging Saroj Choudhary had not ensured the timely treatment to Goliyar’s internal and external injuries, which she said led to her son’s death.
Devi said in her complaint that she and her son were working on their farm in Sarana village on Saturday when some people, belonging to their family, came and beat up Goliyar.
She said SHO Saroj Choudhary and other policemen reached there after being informed about the incident and arrested Goliyar, his cousins Gopal Singh and Mahendra Singh.
Devi also said the accused had earlier threatened her son that they will file a case of rape against him.
She said her son had complained to Barmer’s superintendent of police on September 23, who had directed the Pachpadra Police to take necessary action. She alleged that despite SP’s direction, Pachpadra police did not any action in the case.
According to the police, Goliyar, Gopal Singh and Mahendra Singh were arrested on Saturday under section 151 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) over a land dispute within the family. Police said they were presented before the magistrate for bail on Sunday.
Police claimed the magistrate had granted bail to Gopal Singh and Mahendra Singh but Goliyar complained he was not feeling well. Following the magistrate’s directions, he was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him dead.
SP Sharad Choudhary also said the probe in the activist’s death has been handed over to the Balotra circle officer Subhash Chandra Khoja.
He said as the case was initially lodged under section 176 of CrPC, the postmortem of the Goliyar’s body was conducted in the presence of a judicial magistrate and recorded. He said Goliyar’s body was handed over to his family members for the last rites.
The senior official said he has also ordered a probe into the death by an officer of an additional superintendent of police level.
