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This is an archive article published on September 6, 2007

MP: Probe indicts cops for death of one of their own

A Judicial commission has indicted senior police officers for the death of a policeman who died in suspicious circumstances on Goras-Kalmi road in Sheopur district in January 2004.

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A Judicial commission has indicted senior police officers for the death of a policeman who died in suspicious circumstances on Goras-Kalmi road in Sheopur district in January 2004.

Assistant sub-inspector Diwarilal Rawat was part of a police team that reportedly had an encounter with dacoit Mahavir Jat. While the dacoit and his accomplices managed to flee, the ASI died after taking a bullet in his head.

The police could not convince the commission that any ‘encounter’ actually took place nor did they have any explanation as to how did the PSI die of a .9 mm pistol bullet.

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The police later claimed that an encounter with the dacoit took place in a village that falls in Rajasthan and that the bullet may have come from a dacoit’s pistol. The commission has found the role of then IG V K Pawar, then DIG Gajiram Meena, then SP (Sheopur) C S Malviya, then SDOP T S Nagraj, TI D S Parihar and PSI Harish Sharma (he was part of the village defence committee). A judicial inquiry by B M Gupta was initiated given the suspicious nature of Rawat’s death. The report was submitted months ago but the Government chose to keep it under wraps, because the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter killing had attracted national attention.

On Wednesday, the Cabinet appointed a sub-committee to go into the report’s findings. Home minister Himmat Kothari, who heads the three-member committee, said it would give its recommendations in a month’s time.

The commission noted that Rawat, who was part of an anti-dacoity team, had been earlier suspended for negligence but was mysteriously reinstated and included in the January 24 operation against dacoit Jat.

Pawar, who is now ADGP (Police Training and Research Institute), told The Indian Express late on Wednesday that there was no substance in the allegation that Rawat’s seniors had conspired to eliminate him. Pawar admitted that Rawat died of a .9 mm bullet but said the commission does not say the pistol belonged to a policeman. “Why should we kill one of our own PSIs,” he asked when his reaction was sought to the commission’s indictment. He claimed he had raised Rs 10 lakh for Rawat’s family by deducting money from policemen’s salaries.

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He claimed that the encounter with Jat took place in Gohata village in Rajasthan and a case had been registered in this regard with the Kishanganj Police Station. The commission has found Pawar’s role suspicious because Rawat was included in the operation by revoking his suspension; Sharma was included in the operation though he belonged to the village defence committee; and as IG he did not take action against his erring juniors.

Pawar defended himself saying Rawat was included because the operation was based on his information.

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