Gujarat's 'Rustom' seeks bail to serve his commando unit

AHMEDABAD: Jigar Vyas's case recalls the Akshay Kumar film 'Rustom', which is based on the real-life story of naval commander K M Nanavati who was jailed for killing his wife's lover. Vyas, a decorated special forces commando, is serving life imprisonment for killing his own wife's paramour.
Now, Vyas has sought bail from Gujarat HC stating the nation needs his services as a commando. He has cited a letter which he purportedly has received from his Army unit.

Vyas, a Bhavnagar native, has been awarded seven medals for gunning down seven terrorists in various encounters in J&K. He has been behind bars since February 2015 when he shot dead his wife Chetna Solanki's boyfriend, Devendra Sharma, an industrialist. He even attempted to strangulate Chetna, a pole vaulter.

Vyas was arrested and a Bhavnagar court convicted him to life imprisonment. His appeal against is pending in the HC. On February 14 this year, Vyas filed a bail application requesting the court to suspend his sentence. He said that his unit has asked for his services.

Vyas has appended to his application a letter which he claims he received from his unit early in January. The letter is addressed to 'Whom So Ever It May Concern' and says, "Jigar Hareshbhai Vyas has been serving from March 21, 2005, and [was] posted with 15 COSR (9ParaSF), Srinagar counter-insurgency area."

After commending Vyas's services, the letter, whose veracity will be checked by the court, says, "Considering the emerging security situation...the service of Vyas is necessary on an urgent basis. If his service is utilized in the present security situation in the Srinagar area, it would be in the interest of the nation."

The letter justifies its call for Vyas's service on grounds that "six soldiers were sacrificed in the surgical strike in 2015-2017, in which 9Para commandos were involved". According to the letter, Vyas can serve up to 2025.

In February 2015, when Vyas came to his hometown on four-week leave amid strained marital relationship, he found his wife had already moved to an apartment rented by Sharma. A quarrel ensued but the couple, who have a daughter, decided to expedite divorce proceedings already started by the wife. On February 13, while Vyas and his wife were preparing to go to their lawyer, Vyas pulled out his licensed gun in a fit of anger and fired at her. He then moved to the other room and shot Sharma down.