Raju Gore, the husband of murdered policewoman Ashwini Bidre, has written to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar demanding suspension of the investigating officer in the case.
In his letter, Mr. Gore accused Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinod Chavan of the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch, of aiding the accused. Mr. Gore said, “Senior advocate Pradeep Gharat, who is the Special Public Prosecutor in the case, is a senior citizen. During such times, stepping out is dangerous for him. Yet, he has been attending all the hearings. Mr. Chavan is expected to inform Mr. Gharat about the dates of hearing and the bail applications filed by the accused beforehand so that Mr. Gharat gets enough time to prepare.”
‘Lack of cooperation’
Mr. Gore said there was a hearing on September 28 on the bail application filed by one of the accused, but Mr. Chavan informed Mr. Gharat about it only on Sunday night. Mr. Gore said Mr. Gharat managed to prepare for the matter and the Bombay High Court issued an order extending the trial period in the case by another year. The trial began at the Panvel sessions court in November 2019 and the court had initially directed that the trial be expedited and completed within a year.
Mr. Gore also demanded that Assistant Commissioner of Police Sangeeta Alphonso, who had been appointed last year by the Maharashtra Director General of Police to assist Mr. Gharat in the trial, be transferred to the Navi Mumbai Police and made the investigating officer in the case.
‘Unsatisfactory conduct’
Mr. Gharat said, “There has been unsatisfactory conduct at the police’s end in this murder case.” Mr. Chavan, who has been hospitalised after testing positive for COVID-19, was unavailable for comment.
Bidre, an assistant police inspector posted with the Protection of Civil Rights Unit in Konkan Bhavan in Belapur and resident of Roadpali in Kalamboli, went missing on April 15, 2016. A case was registered on July 14, 2016, by her brother Anand Bidre.
On January 31, 2017, a kidnapping case was registered following which the key suspect, police inspector Abhay Kurundkar, who was attached to the Thane Rural Police, was arrested on December 7, 2017. Three more accomplices have been arrested in the case. According to the police, after killing Bidre, the accused dismembered the body and dumped it in Mira-Bhayander creek.