Three accused in rioting case go missing,kin blame police

The three are accused of rioting and beating up one Chakur Rana on July 12. They were in the custody of police,and a local court had granted them bail,after which they allegedly went missing.

According to Malu Vala,Jillu’s nephew,the three have been missing since July 18—the day they were released on bail by a Savarkundla court.

Amreli SP Sandeep Singh has now ordered an inquiry into the matter. The police have,however,dismissed the charges and have said that all the accused were released on bail.

Singh said: “I have ordered an inquiry at the DySP level. But preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused had been released in presence of the mamlatdar after they were granted bail.”

According to a complaint lodged by Rana with the Savarkundla rural police,the three missing persons and five others— Bhala Vala,Ramki Vala,Jagu Bhala,Dilu Bhala and Pratap Jillu— attacked him and broke his limb at Gordala village.

The police registered an offence under Sections 147,148,149,323 and 325 of the Indian Penal Code,and Section 135 of the Bombay Police Act.

The kin of the accused said that Rana is the husband of the sarpanch and that a feud had occurred between them when they objected to the fact that Rana had blocked a road often used by farmers to go to the village outskirts.

Earlier,the police had arrested the eight accused on July 17. According to the relatives of the three as well as the Kathi community state president and former Rajula legislator,Pratap Varu,they were beaten up in custody by Savarkundla rural SI Ramdev Gohil and ASI Girish Mehta the same night.

The Kathi community,which submitted a memorandum in this regard to Savarkundla DySP K P Chaudhary on Sunday,alleged that though the Savarkundla court had released all the accused on bail on July 18,the same evening,the two police officers took the three missing persons to the police station again to beat them up.

The community leaders alleged that the policemen took the trio to Rana and forced them to seek pardon. Later,the police officers again roughed them up and then took them for medical treatment.

“Whereabouts of the three are not known,but the other five accused have returned,” said Varu.

Meanwhile,Malu Vala said that while they have represented the matter to the DySP,they are planning to file a court complaint to probe the whereabouts of the three missing people.

In a separate incident in February,the Savarkundla police had come under fire from the State Human Rights Commission when they beat up Muslim youths publicly and allegedly arrested them on wrong charges.