LUDHIANA: The case of former
Shiv Sena Hind youth wing leader
Amit Arora has been transferred to the court of National Investigation Agency (NIA) in
Mohali from the local court of Ludhiana on Tuesday. The
NIA team — which is investigating all cases under targeted killing — has put an application in the local court of judicial magistrate Dr Sushil Bodh for the same. On the other side, local police have also moved an application demanding a stay in the proceeding.
Advocate Rana Chand, counsel for Amit Arora, said NIA had given an application before the court, praying that the case be transferred to NIA court Mohali. The case was to come up on January 23 in the local court. Taking note of the application, the local court accepted the request, and now the case would be taken up before the NIA court Mohali. The case will come up for hearing before NIA court of Mohali on January 16.
On Tuesday, Arora — who is presently a member of the
Shiv Sena Hind — was produced before court, and he gave a statement in the case where he was booked by Jodhewal police under sections 420 (cheating), 417 (punishment for cheating), 193 (punishment for false evidence), 177 (furnishing false information), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC. Initially, the case was registered against unidentified accused under sections of attempt to murder, when Arora complained to police that he was receiving threatening calls, and was also attacked by assailants near Basti Jodhewal Chowk.
However later, the police turned around the story and claimed Arora had stage-managed the attack to get security cover. After his arrest, Shiv Sena Punjab had expelled him from the party. Recently, when the Punjab police arrested shooters of targeted killings Ramandeep Singh and Hardeep Singh Shera, they claimed the accused had confessed they had opened fire at Arora, but he survived.
The confession of the accused raised fingers against the Punjab police and its investigation. Amit Arora said: "I have spent six months from 11 June 2016 to 4 January 2017 in jail, and before that, I was in police remand for more than one-and-a-half months. The Punjab police have tortured me. They brought my wife to CIA, and I was tortured to confess the crime I have not even committed. Today, I have given a statement before the court in the case in which I have named one ADCP, one ACP, and a CIA official for framing me wrongly in this case. Besides, now my case has been transferred to NIA court, and the hearing is on January 16."
Arora further said that even after coming back from jail in January, he was being threatened. However, out of fear, he did not approach the police. He said: "After spending six months in jail, when I returned, I was again threatened on social media. On Facebook, I received several messages and audio recordings, in which I was threatened of murder. I was so scared that I did not approach the police. The police have also ruined my family life. Since then, my wife and two children have gone back to Delhi, and never returned," he added.
Importantly, Arora had also approached DGP Punjab Suresh Arora with his case in December 2016, who had ordered local officials to get a stay on the case proceeding.
Representative Image
