Inquiry ordered against Ahmedabad cops who thrashed thieves

The metropolitan magistrate, on Tuesday, ordered a judicial inquiry against the crime branch officials who were alleged to have illegally picked up two thieves and thrashed them in police custody.

The accused were then handed over to the Naroda police, who arrested them in a theft case.

According to a complaint filed with the metropolitan magistrate on Monday, officials of the crime branch picked up Dharmesh Tamanche and an associate of his from Kalupur railway station on the afternoon of November 9, and took them to the crime branch office in a car. There, crime branch officials Ajay Swami, Vasant Chaudhary and Arun Dhale assaulted the two. Later, they were handed over to the Naroda police on the evening of November 11.

The episode came to light when the two were produced before the court on November 12 in connection with a theft case, and they narrated the episode to the court. On the basis of the complaint, the metropolitan court had directed jail authorities to get the accused treated at the city's civil hospital, and to present a medical report in court.

However, jail authorities treated the accused in the hospital's medical dispensary.

Further, the accused, through their advocate Bharat Shah, had moved an application on Monday for production before the court.

Shah, while defending the accused, argued that in this case the accused, after the complaint, were sent to judicial custody.

Hence, there is a need to produce them in court and record their statements. The court, after hearing the argument, asked the jail authorities to produce the accused on December 14 to record their statements, to proceed with the judicial inquiry regarding the allegations made against the police officials.