Sangli custodial killing: PSI Kamte, 4 cops dismissed

IG Nangre Patil said, “I had called for a report against PSI Kamte and he has been dismissed under article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution of India.”

Police sub-inspector (PSI) Yuvraj Bajrang Kamte and four other policemen of Sangli police, who were suspended for their involvement in custodial killing of a 26-year-old, were terminated from service on Friday. While PSI Kamte was terminated on the orders of Vishwas Nangre Patil, inspector general (IG) Kolhapur range, Dattatray Shinde, superintendent of police, Sangli confirmed to have dismissed the other four policemen.

Senior NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar meets the family members of Aniket Kothale, the Sangli custodial death victim, at Bharat Nagar in Sangli on Friday. (UDAY DEOLEKAR/HT Photo)

Confirming the development, IG Nangre Patil said, “I had called for a report against PSI Kamte and he has been dismissed under article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution of India.”

The termination orders were issued the day former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar met the family of the deceased man.

The Sangli police had suspended seven other policemen who were present in the police station on November 6 when the Kothale was killed. The investigation was taken over by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who had questioned all seven of them until Thursday. Sources close to the on-going investigation claimed that the suspended officials confirmed to have seen Kothale being hit during interrogation in police custody in a robbery case. Kothale was arrested in the robbery case along with Amol Bhandare, 23, who was witness to the crime.

A case of murder and destruction of evidence was registered against the five officials and one civilian at Sangli city police station for trying to burn the body.