HC convicts 3 policepersonnel for custodial death

Mumbai, Mar 22 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today sentenced to life imprisonment three policepersonnel for killing an innocent boy, while in their custody at Shahupuri police station in Kolhapur city, on December 16, 1985.

A Division Bench of Justices D G Deshpande and S R Sathe convicted three of the eleven policemen charged for alleged custodial death of Arun Pandav. All of them were earlier acquitted by a sessions court in Kolhapur.

The convicted include - Subhash Panhale, presently working as Police inspector at Deccan Jymkhana police station in Pune and constables Anand Bhosale and Sunil Jadhav.

Panhale had been investigating a case filed against Chandrakant Pandav, elder brother of Arun. Chandrakant had eloped with a minor girl and was untraceable for a long time. The police had arrested Arun suspecting that he had been giving prior tips to his absconding brother before they could lay hands on him. Arun, picked by the police on December 16, 1985, was found dead in police lock up the very next morning.

Although injury marks were found on Arun, the policemen had said he was already injured before being detained by them and there was no concrete evidence to suggest that he died of police torture.

But the court held the alterations in police diaries and fabrication of some documents as supporting evidence against the law enforcement agents.

UNI