Jamnagar court orders prosecution of 11 cops in 2015 custodial torture case

RAJKOT: A five-year-old alleged custodial torture case has returned to haunt Jamnagar cops.
A local court has ordered the prosecution of 11 policemen and one driver in the 2015 case where a resident of adjoining Kalawad town, accused in a forgery case, was allegedly tortured and threatened of being framed if he did not pay them Rs 50,000.
The second additional chief judicial magistrate Prakash Khubchand Khanchandani in his order noted there is prima facie evidence of the allegation made by victim Afzal Dodhiya, which is enough to initiate the process of prosecution against the cops.
The order was passed after completion of inquiry into the complaint filed by Dodhiya who had registered a court complaint when he was produced before the court in September 2015..
Dodhiya was accused under IPC sections 465 (forgery), 466 (forgery of court record) and others.
According to his complaint, policemen from Kalawad police station had come to his house on the night of September 10, 2015 and asked him why he did not come to the police station to record his statement. Dodhiya said when he went to the police station the next day morning, he was allegedly asked to pay Rs 50,000 and the cops threatened to frame him in the FIR lodged against him. When he said he didn’t have money, he was allegedly thrashed by cops and taken to Panchkoshi A-division police station at around 3.30am. He also accused the cops of giving him electric shock and forcing him to pay Rs 50,000 or admit his crime.
Dodhiya alleged that before taking him to the court the next day, he was threatened not to speak anything about ‘torture’ before the judge else he would be made ‘impotent’ during the remand period.
The court considered the statement of the complainant's family members and medical report.
Dodhiya’s advocate, Nikhil Buddhbhatti, told TOI: “The court ordered for a medical report and thereafter the case was reported to the sessions court. The inquiry held and complaint, witness and doctor’s statement and evidence were recorded. Based on this evidence, the court ordered prosecution of these cops.”
Those who will face prosecution are then police sub-inspectors (PSI) Bantva, PSI Vichhi, constables Gautam Makwana, Shailendrasinh of D-staff, Hasmukh and Jaysukh of Kalawad police station and constables Digubha, Vashram Aahir and Yashpalsinh, PSI Chaudhary, writer Bhikha and a driver Jani of A-division police station.
They will be booked relevant IPC sections pertaining to extortion, custodial torture to force confession and others.