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Journalism of Courage
NAGPUR, May 8: The High Court Bench at Nagpur has directed the State Government to launch prosecution charges against Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) S R Paraskar and three other police officials for their alleged role in shielding the police personnel involved in the sensational Mohammad Usman Ansari murder case.
In an order passed today, the Bench, comprising Justices Ashok Desai and S B Mhase, directed that the four officials be prosecuted under Section 217 of the IPC and “any other offence which the government may find proper.”Section 217 of the IPC specifies action against a public servant disobeying direction of the law to save a person from punishment.
DCP Paraskar who is currently in-charge of Zone-III in Mumbai, was posted as Sub-Divisional Police Officer of the Nagpur rural police when the murder occurred.
The other three officials are, Superintendent of State CID (Crime) P V Joshi, inspector S M Valve of State CID and circle police inspector Kedar Sharma the latter two had investigated the case at various stages. While Joshi, according to his counsel Bhushan Gavai, is presently posted at Pune, Sharma is posted at Jalgaon.
Earlier on March 14, the court had directed show cause notices against these officials for not handling the probe in an apt manner.
The court had then also directed that offences be registered against six persons including five policemen in the murder case (CR.No.1/88/93).The incident which occurred in November 1993, had created quite a sensation when the police initially recorded it to be a case of accidental death.
Amid widespread media speculation and allegations by Hamida Bano, widow of the victim, the case was converted into that of murder and attempt to destroy evidence, nearly a fortnight later. However, no one was implicated till the HC Bench’s order of March 14.
Mohmmad Usman Abdul Rehman Ansari, a part-time cook who used to run a tea stall near Risaldar Akhada at Mominpura, was hired by a group of City Crime Branch personnel for preparing biryani at a dinner party to celebrate Bapu Bhosale’s promotion as PSI.
The party was held at a farm-house, belonging to notorious history-sheeter Samad, at Bothali village near Buti Bori on November 17, 1993. More than 20 police personnel including some inspectors and PSIs attended the party which went on till late night.
The next morning an anxious Hamida Bano reached the house of Gayasuddin with whom Ansari had left for the party, to inquire the whereabouts of her husband. However, she was given evasive replies and the same afternoon she was told that Ansari was killed in a road accident on the highway near Buti Bori.
Bano insisted that it was not a case of accident and the issue was widely covered by the local media. The postmortem report too ruled out the possibility of Ansari having died of excessive intoxication or in a road accident in view of the 11-odd injuries to the body.
In fact, it was the postmortem which formed the basis for the case being converted into that of murder and attempt to destroy evidence.
