Himachal IG and Seven Officers Found Guilty in Custodial Death of Gangrape-Murder Accused
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Synopsis
A CBI court convicted Himachal Pradesh Inspector General Z.H. Zaidi and seven others for the custodial death of an accused in the gangrape-murder of a minor in 2017. The court will announce sentencing on January 27.
Key Takeaways
- Zaidi and others guilty for custodial death.
- Minor was a victim of gangrape-murder.
- Protests erupted following the crime.
- Court sentencing on January 27.
- Supreme Court intervened in 2019.
Chandigarh, Jan 18 (NationPress) A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has found Himachal Pradesh Inspector General of Police Z.H. Zaidi and seven other individuals guilty for the notorious custodial death of an accused involved in the gangrape-murder of a minor in 2017.
The individuals convicted alongside Zaidi include the former Deputy Superintendent of Police Manoj Joshi, Sub-Inspector Rajinder Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector Deep Chand Sharma, Mohan Lal, Surat Singh, Rafee Mohammad, and Ranit Sateta.
However, the court has acquitted former Superintendent of Police D.W. Negi. The sentencing details will be announced on January 27.
In 2019, the Supreme Court transferred the case from Shimla to Chandigarh at the request of the CBI for a quicker resolution. The victim had gone missing in Kotkhai, with her body discovered in a forest near the town on July 6, 2017, just two days after her disappearance.
The heinous crime sparked widespread protests, with a mob demanding justice for the victim. Police reports indicated that the schoolgirl had been offered a ride by one of the suspects while she was heading home from school in Kotkhai, located 56 km from Shimla.
During the journey, the accused and his accomplices brutally gang-raped and murdered her in a nearby forest.
Her body, found without clothing and bearing signs of violence, led to the Himachal Pradesh government recommending a CBI investigation.
Once the CBI took over, nine police officers, including Inspector General Zaidi and former Shimla Superintendent of Police D.W. Negi, were arrested concerning the custodial death of an accused named Suraj.
Zaidi was leading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) assigned to investigate the case before the CBI assumed control.
The SIT had apprehended six suspects, one of whom, Suraj, died at the Kotkhai police station on the night of July 18, 2017. Consequently, Zaidi and eight others were detained in connection with this custodial death.
The CBI later arrested Nilu, deeming him the sole perpetrator, while charges against those previously arrested by the Himachal Police were dropped.
Inspector General Zaidi was reinstated in November 2019 after being granted bail by the Supreme Court on April 5, 2019.
However, he faced suspension again on January 15, 2020, following allegations from Superintendent of Police Soumya Sambasivan that he was attempting to coerce her into altering her testimony.
