No evidence against other policemen

Mumbai, Feb 11 (UNI) The Maharashtra government has contended there was no direct or circumstantial evidence against 10 policemen--other than the four against whom sanction to prosecute has been granted, suspected to be involved in the alleged custodial death of Ghatkopar Bomb Blast accused Sayyad Khwaja Yunus, The state Government has filed an affidavit, as directed earlier by the high court, which states that there was no evidence either direct or circumstantial against 10 policemen mentioned by Khwaja's mother Asiya Begum in the high court.

They include ACP Ambadas Pote, PI Arun Borude, Rajendra Joshi, PSI Mangesh Mahajan, Senior PI Prafulla Bhosale, PI Rajaram Vhanmane, PSI Hemant Desai and Ashok Khot.

Khwaja's mother Asiya Begum has moved the court seeking compensation of Rs five lakhs for his alleged custodial death, after the high court had, on April 7, 2004 directed the State CID to treat statement of a co-accused Dr. Abdul Matin Abdul Basit as an FIR.

Till recently, police were claiming that Khwaja ran away taking advantage of an accident of a police vehicle in which he was being taken to Aurangabad for investigation into the Ghatkopar Bomb Blast Case of December 2002.

The incident, according to police officials, took place on January 7, 2003, near Parner, in Nagar District. Khwaja's family suspected that he was killed while in police custody.

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