Nagpur: A murder case has been registered against 11 cops including PI Praveenchand Lokhande of Newasa Police Station in the custodial death of an accused. The slapping of murder case against the police personnel came after Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court ordered a probe against the police officers in whose custody Amol Pimple died on August 2017.
Notably, the Police Inspector Lokhande was earlier posted in Nagpur on the same rank.
Soon after Amol’s death, the officers at Newasa police station conducted an inquiry and concluded that Amol had committed suicide by hanging himself in the lock-up with two towels provided to him. However, his family contended that Amol, a father of two, died due to the tremendous torture he was subjected to by Newasa police.
Deprived of justice by the police department, Amol’s family then moved to the Aurangabad High Court. The judges noted that the autopsy report though did not speak of any injuries on Amol’s person, except the one on his head. The post mortem report showed that there was an injury to the head and no explanation for it. The court observed that spot panchnama ought to have been properly drawn and the probabilities of such suicide ought to have been carefully considered. Ironically, there was one more accused in the lock-up at the relevant time but he was showed ignorance as to when Amol took the extreme step.
Following which the High Court slapped murder charges against 11 police personnel of Newasa police station including PI Lokhande, APIs Bhingare, Jambhle and others.
Ravikant Kamble
