Arrest Pol for casual approach in murder case: NHRC to chief secy

Pune police commissionerate says case not in its jurisdiction.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the state chief secretary to arrest Pune police commissioner Gulabrao Pol and produce him before the commission in Delhi on January 28 for his alleged casual and mechanical approach in a murder case. However,the police commissionerate said the case in which the warrant was issued was not in its jurisdiction.

A release issued by the NHRC on Monday stated the commission has taken a serious view of the casual and mechanical approach adopted by the police chief,especially in a case related to the human rights violation of a person belonging to Scheduled Caste. The commission found it to be indicative of wilful disobedience of its directions and directed the chief secretary to arrest and produce the police chief before the commission at 3 pm on January 28.

On April 30,2007,claiming inaction by local police,Kisan Namdev Ghodke had filed a complaint with the NHRC alleging abduction and murder of his son Pritam by some unidentified persons.

The matter was taken up during Open Hearing on Scheduled Castes matters by the commission at Nagpur in January this year but no response was filed by the Pune police chief. Thereafter,he was asked to submit a report within four weeks,which was also not received. He was then issued reminders and conditional summons May 6 and non-conditional summons on June 6 to appear before the commission along with the report. However,the police chief did not comply with the directions of the commission, said the release.

While Pol was not available for comment,Pune city police released a note saying,Kisan Namdev Ghodke and Bhagwan Kisan Ghodke,both residents of Saburdi village in Khed taluka of Pune district,had filed a complaint with the NHRC. The Pune police commissionerate has received summons from NHRC in the case,but since the matter comes under the jurisdiction of Pune rural police,they were forwarded to the superintendent of Pune rural police. The NHRC is believed to have issued an arrest warrant against the police chief because he did not appear before the commission for hearing.

The note further said,We will give a clarification to the NHRC over the the jurisdiction of the case.

Additional Commissioner (crime) of city police Shahji Solunkhe said they had received three summons from the NHRC,which were forwarded to the Pune rural police. Manoj Lohiya,SP,Pune rural,said that they have already replied to the NHRC about the case in June.

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NHRC’s information and publicity officer Jaimini Kumar Sirvastva said further action would be taken after the commission receives a report from the chief secretary.

Sources from NHRC,however,said that Pune police chief has now issued a release saying that the matter was not in his jurisdiction. He should have replied to NHRC earlier. The NHRC would not have taken the step of asking the chief secretary to arrest him. The onus now lies on the chief secretary, said sources.

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