The Hindu : Front Page : Gujarat police officer held for massacre

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Monday, Feb 09, 2009
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Gujarat police officer held for massacre

Manas Dasgupta

SIT action leads to panic in police ranks

To be produced before magistrate for remand
Did not resort to “effective firing” to disperse mob

GANDHINAGAR: Causing panic in the Gujarat police ranks, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court on Sunday arrested the Bulsar District Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kirisitsinh Erda, in connection with the Gulberg Society massacre during the 2002 communal riots.

Mr. Erda then was Senior Police Inspector In-Charge of the Meghaninagar police station which covered the Gulberg Society area in Chamanpura locality where more than 40 people, including the former Congress member of the Lok Sabha, Ehsan Jafri, were burnt to death during the mayhem on February 28, 2002. Besides other witnesses, Mr. Jafri’s wife had complained to the SIT against Mr. Erda, claiming that the police officer did not turn up at the scene of the crime despite repeated pleas by the residents to protect them from mob attack.

A police team was sent by the SIT from here to the place of his present posting in Bulsar and was arrested from his residence there around 10 a.m. on Sunday. He is likely to be produced before a magistrate later on Sunday night or Monday for remand.

According to Ashish Bhatia, one of the members of the SIT from the Gujarat IPS cadre, Mr. Erda was arrested not only for the dereliction of duty but also because of his alleged complicity in preparing false documents to help out some of the accused in the massacre. “We have enough evidence against Mr. Erda of having committed many major mistakes during the massacre in Gulberg Society,” Mr. Bhatia said. Not only that the police official did not respond to the pleas from the residents in time, when finally he turned up with the police team, he did not resort to “effective firing” to disperse the attacking mob. Even during the investigation into the incident later, he showed carelessness and was also found to have prepared some false documents that could benefit some of the accused in the Gulberg Society case, Mr. Bhatia said.

Mr. Bhatia said investigation was on against several other police officers in connection with the nine other incidents of massacres being probed by the SIT at the instance of the apex court. “More arrests of police officials are likely if we find similar strong evidences against them also,” he said.

Mr. Erda’s arrest has caused panic among the police officials in the State posted at key positions at the places that witnessed major massacres under fresh investigation by the SIT.

Several other names of senior police officials are believed to be under scrutiny of the SIT.

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