Tribal stripped, beaten up by Surendranagar cops

Not satisfied with this, the policemen then took the semi naked man to the village temple, where they beat him up again and made him wear a ghaghra. Later, they forced him to walk in that dress carrying his pants and shoes on his head till the panchayat office, where they made him dance as well.

According to Kalpesh Sapra, a villager, the police had come to look for Gesapara following a complaint by the latter8217;s wife against him in the police station.

Gesapara said: 8220;On the evening of October 7, I was sleeping in my house when the peon from the panchayat office came to call me. As I followed him, Beat Head Constable Janaksinh Rana and Constable Indu Rana, both from the Darbar community from the nearby Bhalgamda village, accosted me on the way.8221; He added: 8220;They grabbed me by my collar and dragged me to the panchayat office and stripped me there. Later, they pulled me out of the panchayat room and beat me up in full public view.8221;

He added: 8220;Then they forced me to bend down before the doors of panchayat room where they pulled out a stick, wrapped it with petrol soaked cloth and pushed it up my rectum, before putting the stick in my mouth.8221;

He further said: 8220;Then they took me to the Ramji Temple in the village and made me lie down and hit me on the buttocks with sticks. Later, they made me wear a ghaghra and walk through the village to the panchayat office, where they made me dance.8221;

He said finally the two policemen took him to the Panitola police station where they kept him overnight with his hands tied. 8220;The next morning they took me to the court. En-route they gave me a bath at the Bhavani Hotel, which is also owned by another Darbar community person, to clean my blood stains,8221; he said.

While the police refused to admit an FIR due to alleged political pressure, a private complaint has been filed with the Limdi Court.

8220;We moved a private complaint before the judge in this matter, even before we moved the bail application for Gesapara,8221; said VK Rathod, the victim8217;s lawyer.

He added: 8220;The judge has asked for a medical report and he Gesapara has been examined in the Surendranagar Civil Hospital.8221; He said the medical reports have shown injury marks and the matter has now been forwarded to the District Judge for further action.

Meanwhile, Gesapara and the villagers allege that there has been significant political pressure on the doctors, whom they visited for Gesapara8217;s treatment.

8220;Starting from the Limdi Civil Hospital to Surendranagar Civil Hospital, everywhere we have been refused treatment as Kiritsinh Rana has been creating pressure on the doctors. It still pains and there is no one to even treat me,8221; said Gesapara.

Balji Dargaiya, a member of Nanikati Panchayat said: 8220;There is tremendous terror of the police in the area as they frequently beat up people like this. They did all this to Gesapara in full public view, but the police refused to register an FIR as they fear to act against the minister8217;s men. It is mentionable that Gujarat8217;s Minister of Forest and Environment Kiritsinh Rana belongs to Bhalgamda and is a member of the Darbar community.

He added that some days ago a man in Ranagadh village narrowly escaped death due to police beating.

Political patronage to the police, particularly to the ones belonging to the Darbar community, was evident when a sub-inspector of the Panesara police station switched off his mobile phone after the Newsline tried to get in touch with him a couple of times on Sunday evening.

Surendranagar Superintendent Ashok Kumar, however, denied any political pressure and said that he has already received an application in this regard.

8220;I have already asked a DSP to inquire into the matter and submit a report to me in a week8217;s time,8221; said Kumar, adding that strict action will be taken if evidence is found against the accused policemen.

Kiritsinh Rana gave a clean chit to the police by saying that 8220;nothing of this sort has happened8221; and that the villagers went to the police station to lodge a false FIR.

8220;If there was anything substantial, they could have come to me and I would have sorted it out. But let me tell you, nothing of this sort happened,8221; he said.

He added that the area is his own constituency and he is very much aware of the develop-ments there.

But Sapra added: 8220;I am an eye-witness to the entire episode and I will testify about this in the court of law if required.8221;