Former SHO and SI booked for 'shielding' dacoity case accused

AGRA: An FIR was lodged by the Crime Branch Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) Agra unit against former station house officer (SHO) and sub-inspector of Jaithra police station in UP's Etah district for disobeying a senior officer's order and ‘shielding’ five accused in a dacoity case.

Accused officers were identified as inspector Kailash Chandra Dubey and sub-inspector Madanmurari Diwedi, who were levied with Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 166A (Public servant disobeying law), 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), 217 (Public servant disobeying direction of law with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) and 218 (Public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture). The FIR was lodged after a year-long investigation by CB-CID.

According to FIR filed by inspector Nagendra Prasad Tiwari, the investigating officer of CBCID, “In order to shield the accused allegedly involved in the dacoity, SHO Kailash Chandra Dubey of Jaithra, disobeyed CO Aliganj order. On August 16, 2016, he was given written directions to file an immediate FIR based on the written complaint of Paliwalan resident Vijendra Singh Chauhan, but the FIR was lodged on September 3, 2016.”

Victim Vijendra, a bus conductor of UP roadways, was brutally attacked at his residence and his belongings, including Rs 20,000, were allegedly robbed off by a gang of nine men under the jurisdiction of Jaithra police on May 22, 2016.

After failing to get legal help from police, he approached state human right commission who directed SP Etah to lodge complaint. The then Etah SP Akhilesh Chaurasia ordered the then circle officer (CO) Aliganj Dharam Singh to probe the matter, who then ordered Jaithra SHO to lodge an FIR.

Though later, the SHO and investigating officer SI Madanmurari Diwedi, omitted the names of five accused involved in the case, after which the victim lodged a complaint with SP crime Etah Anoop Kumar, who directed ASP Visarjan Singh to probe the matter.

In the probe report, ASP stated that since the entire police staff of Jaithra was infected with chikungunya, dengue and fever, the staff could not lodge a complaint immediately.

Unsatisfied with the probe report, the victim Vijendra filed a complaint against SHO, SI, ASP and SP crime with the state home department and chief secretary Arvind Kumar on November 15, 2017 ordered CB-CID to investigate the matter.

“The investigating officer (SI Madanmurari Diwedi ) deliberately didn’t take the witness account and the medical report of the victim to remove the names of accused men identified as Ashok, Rahul, Moharpal, Subodh and Anshul,” read the FIR of CBCID officer.

According to Etah superintendent of police Swapnil Mamgain, “The CB-CID investigating officer found gross negligence on part of the then SHO and SI of Jaithra in a case which pertains to dacoity, following which CBCID lodged an FIR against the officers.”

It’s important to note, that SP CB-CID Geeta Singh is probing the matter against ASP (now retired) Visarjan Singh Yadav and SP crime Anoop Kumar.