The Pune rural police suspended these eight policemen soon after the incident on August 9.
The Vadgaon Maval court of judicial magistrate (first class), Ashwini D Lokhande, on Friday directed the local police to conduct a probe against eight police personnel in connection with the police firing on agitating farmers in Rautwadi, off the Pune-Mumbai expressway.
The Pune rural police suspended these eight policemen soon after the incident on August 9. In its order, the court observed that prima facie the suspended cops were guilty.
The court directed the police that FIRs be lodged against these policemen under different sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 including section 302, involving murder charges.
“The investigation should be conducted by an officer not below the rank of police inspector,” the court ordered and instructed that the probe report be submitted to the court by November 20.
The policemen include senior police inspector Ashok Patil, sub-inspector Ganesh Mane, head constable SM Jandange, constables MA Wagade, JH Korde, RD Bhagat, VB Nagre and MM Zankar.
The firing claimed lives of three farmers — Moreshwar Sathe, Shyamrao Tupe and Kantabai Thakar — and injured several other farmers.
The farmers were taking part in an agitation protesting against underground water pipeline project of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation from Pavana dam to Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The state government has also ordered a judicial probe into the incident and transferred the superintendent of Pune rural, Sandeep Karnik.
A Mumbai-based activist of India Against Corruption, Ishwardas G Khandelwal, who is also chief editor of the Hindi magazine, Matru Gaurav, had filed a criminal complaint in the Vadgaon Maval court against the police. He argued the case in the court himself.
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