Man held over bid to snatch SRPF rifle during Ram Navami violence

In a release, the Warasiya police, on Wednesday, said that it had reconstructed the scene of the crime after a local court granted a day’s remand of the accused in police custody.

According to the complaint filed by the SRP constable, Pankaj Himmatsinh Baria of SRP Group-5, Godhra, filed on April 1 , the incident had occurred on the evening of March 30 while the SRPF had been deployed for bandobast for Ram Navami procession in the old city area.

“At around 5.45 pm on March 30, near the Kalu Shahidbaba Dargah in Kumbharwada deep SRP point, the complainant was deployed on Bandobast duty near Kumbharwada when three persons, identified as Abdul Rashid Sattar Shaikh, Bittu Rafiq Bengali and Mohseen — all residents of Fatepura area– tried to deter the complainant from performing his duty and attempted to snatch the government-issued duty rifle in a brawl with the complainant. The accused slapped the complainant before escaping from the spot,” Police Inspector Ashok Mori of Warasiya police station said.

Shaikh was arrested on Tuesday and produced in court, where the police was granted custody of the accused for one day. Shaikh was remanded to judicial custody on Wednesday. The police have booked all three accused under Indian Penal Code Sections for robbery (393), assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty (353), voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant in the discharge of his duty with the intent to prevent or deter the public servant from discharging his duty (332), voluntarily obstructing a public servant in discharge of his public functions (186), crime committed in presence of abettor (114).