Lawyer alleges illegal detention, conspiracy
The Mahoba incident, in which an IPS officer Mani Lal Patidar is alleged to be absconding in connection with abetment to suicide case, has taken a curious turn. A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been also announced for his arrest.
A lawyer has moved Supreme Court and knocked the doors of various government officials, claiming that the IPS officer is not absconding but was abducted as part of a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by two senior officials of Police and Home departments. He alleged that Patidar was abducted and detained to ensure illegal mining without any obstruction.
He despatched a fax to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, UP Governor Anandiben Patel, chairman of National Human Rights Commission and others, including IAS and IPS associations, seeking their immediate intervention. He demanded that a case be registered in this connection and the probe be transferred to the CBI. He also demanded that the accused officers be placed under suspension pending enquiry. He also claimed to have handed over a complaint to the Commissioner of Police in Lucknow, demanding that a case be registered. However, no action has been taken in the matter.
Supreme Court lawyer Mukut Nath Verma, who is the legal representative of the accused IPS officer, claimed that to get the statement of Patidar recorded before the SIT, he sought relevant documents like FIR, post-mortem report and details of allegations regarding corruption against his client, but nothing has been provided to him, even as two senior officers in the government hatched a bigger conspiracy.
Verma mentioned in his letter that on November 27 last, when his client was coming to meet him to discuss the case and to pay his fee, he was abducted at the behest of two government officials and instead of showing him as arrested, as Patidar was already shown ‘wanted’ in the Mahoba case, the two officers illegally detained him and took him to some secret hideout.
He alleged that despite his client being in illegal custody since November 27, a cash reward of Rs 25,000, which was later increased to Rs 50,000, was announced on his arrest. “Besides, they have also lodged a case under Section 174-A of IPC against my client with ulterior motives. Such elements worked in a well-planned manner to damage the morale of an honest IPS officer as part of a criminal conspiracy,” Verma alleged. He said he gave an application to Hazratganj police and to the Commissioner of Police (Lucknow) against the two government officials and others, but no action has been taken so far.
Verma said a case should be registered immediately the two officers are suspended pending enquiry by the CBI, so that the truth behind the Mahoba incident comes out.
