City court rejects the plea of Delhi police for handcuffing Rana

New Delhi, May 27 (UNI) A city court today rejected the plea of the Delhi police, for handcuffing Sher Singh Rana, prime accused in Phoolan Devi assassination case.

Rejecting the plea, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) K C Lohia, said, ''Rana did not require a handcuff at this point of time as he was given high security in the jail premises and outside.'' The Delhi police sought to handcuff Rana apprehending he might escape from the jail, according to a senior Delhi police official.

Earlier Rana had filed an application in the court and sought adequate security, as there was a threat to his life in the jail premises. Rana is presently lodged in Rohini jail.

The jail superintendent in his reply told the court that, ''Rana's food was being checked regularly by the jail doctor and refuted the allegations levelled by Rana against the jail authorities. He assured the court that, there was no threat to his life in the jail premises.'' Earlier on May 11, Rana in his application stated that, he was tortured mentally and physically and alleged that he might be given slow poison. He also requested the court to transfer him to any jail other than New Delhi. The court ordered the superintendent of Rohini Jail to file a status report in this matter.

He had also expressed the apprehension that he might be killed due to the ''conspiracy by the police'' against him and sought protection.

He was arrested from a house in the Lake Gardens area of south Kolkata on April 25 by the Delhi Police team after he managed to escape from Tihar Jail.

Rana had shot dead Samajwadi MP Phoolan Devi outside her 44, Ashoka Road residence in Delhi on July 25, 2001.

Rana confessed before the media that he had murdered Phoolan Devi to avenge the infamous Behmai massacre, in which her gang had shot dead 21 upper-caste men in Behmai village of Uttar Pradesh on February 14, 1981.

UNI XC YA KP1827