Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Beaten by Vanzara, Pandian moves court

Suspended IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian – an accused in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case – has complained that he was bashed up by a co-accused, former DIG D G Vanzara, in the Sabarmati jail.
    The special court dealing with the case has asked for a clarification from the jail superintendent and Ranip police officials. Relations between the two accused cops reportedly worsened after Pandian sought information from jail authorities under RTI laws on the ‘VIP’ treatment given to Vanzara.
    According to Pandian’s complaint, a scuffle broke out between him and Vanzara on July 22. The spat led to a physical fight prompting jail officials to intervene Pandian requested jail officials to permit him to file an FIR with the Ranip police. But he was allegedly not allowed to do so. Instead, Pandian was shifted to Das Kholi, where the other co-accused from Rajasthan police were shifted two months ago. Before the punch-up, the two cops had been lodged in the Sardar Yard from the time they were jailed in 2007.
    When jail authorities did not call the police, Pandian filed a complaint before the CBI court. Pandian has urged the court to direct the police to register a complaint. Additional chief metropolitan magistrate H S Khutvad has issued a notice to the jail superintendent and Ranip police, asking them to reply on August 9.
    A few months ago, Vanzara had a tiff with suspended PSI Ashish Pandya, a cop from Banaskantha. Pandya had come to Ahmedabad because he had to appear in an examination. During his stay in the Sabarmati jail, he had come in contact with Vanzara. Apparently, Vanzara kept posing certain questions to the subordinate cop. Pandya became irritated and allegedly abused his senior.
    Earlier, a police inspector from Rajasthan, Abdul Rehman Shaikh, had also complained against Vanzara. Shaikh had felt threatened after he had consented to the CBI’s plea to transfer the case outside Gujarat.