CBI sleuths,Nadiad jail staff trade blows

Following the transfer of the Sohrabuddin case trial to Mumbai on the Supreme Court orders a few months ago,the accused policemen were shifted from jails in Gujarat to Taloja jail in Mumbai. Chudasama,however,was allowed to stay back at Nadiad sub-jail since he was undergoing treatment in Ahmedabad.

According to sources,CBI sleuths landed at Nadiad jail in Monday morning and asked the jail authorities to call Chudasama,but he refused to come out of his cell. After waiting for long,the CBI team took up the matter with the jail superintendent and tried to move in. However,they were stopped by the jail guards,which led to fisticuffs between the the two sides.

Sources said Chudasama remained seated inside his cell all this while,shouting at the CBI team and asking it to go back.

“A team of CBI had gone to Nadiad jail to shift him to Mumbai jail. He was allowed to stay there on medical grounds,but now he is fit and should be shifted there as soon as possible,” a CBI official said.

Nadiad jail authorities,meanwhile,denied there was any scuffle.

Nadiad sub-jail superintendent N A Desai said,“The CBI team did come to take away Chudasama to Mumbai. But there are medical grounds in his case. He will undergo tests tomorrow. If he is fit,we will send him with CBI to Mumbai.”

Another accused police officer in the case,D G Vanzara,is also back in Gujarat these days. He was brought back from Mumbai to Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad some time ago for questioning in the Ishrat Jahan case.