NEW DELHI: Twenty years ago, an extra DCP named Vivek Gogia and an SHO named inspector Surender Sharma had come within the line of fireplace for his or her "shoddy" probe within the Jessica Lall murder case. Sharma used to be the IO in that case, and controversy had resulted within the registration of an FIR against the investigation workforce.
Fifteen years after that, their paths crossed again when Sunanda Pushkar died. Gogia used to be then a joint CP and Sharma the world ACP the place Pushkar's body used to be found.
The investigation generated a lot of dangerous buzz first of all with allegations of botch-up and protocol violation. Though the police maintained that they have been doing a certified task, lack of any visual motion used to be what introduced the police beneath scanner.
"An eerie silence had prevailed at the scene of crime as the deceased was the wife of the Union human resource development minister and Congress was the ruling party then. There was no place for any laxity. However, we were indeed hesitant in following the laid out procedures like seizures etc as we would do in a normal case. Everything was being done after orders from high command," a supply within the first SIT recalled.
The first in a series of controversies arose when there have been stories that an IG-rank officer gave Shashi Tharoor his phone instead of seizing it on the spot. His medical examination also couldn't be carried out as he were given himself admitted to a clinic the day after complaining of chest pain.
Another twist came when the then police chief, B S Bassi, transferred the case to Crime Branch and then took it back inside a couple of hours. It used to be mentioned that Crime Branch wanted to sign up a murder FIR to start probe.
Months later, the AIIMS medical board reprimanded the police for amassing evidence casually, following which a police workforce went to the Leela hotel to collect items of damaged glass and stains on the carpet and curtains.
The subsequent controversy used to be brought about when an SIT formed to probe the case used to be nearly dismantled. The IO used to be shunted out to a security unit and the DCP used to be nearly forced to move out.
Since June 2014, things sped up, a most sensible supply mentioned. On January 1, 2015, a murder FIR used to be lodged and a DCP named Prem Nath used to be despatched to an FBI lab with the viscera samples.
New officials have been introduced into the SIT, cell numbers have been intercepted, Tharoor used to be interrogated and his aides put through "third degree" as alleged by him in a letter to Bassi. A separate EOW probe into alleged irregularities in an IPL franchise started one at a time. Polygraph assessments and raids have been carried out, and Pakistani columnist Mehr Tarar used to be puzzled too.
However, forensic post-mortem on suspects gave case a brand new hire of existence.
Fifteen years after that, their paths crossed again when Sunanda Pushkar died. Gogia used to be then a joint CP and Sharma the world ACP the place Pushkar's body used to be found.
The investigation generated a lot of dangerous buzz first of all with allegations of botch-up and protocol violation. Though the police maintained that they have been doing a certified task, lack of any visual motion used to be what introduced the police beneath scanner.
"An eerie silence had prevailed at the scene of crime as the deceased was the wife of the Union human resource development minister and Congress was the ruling party then. There was no place for any laxity. However, we were indeed hesitant in following the laid out procedures like seizures etc as we would do in a normal case. Everything was being done after orders from high command," a supply within the first SIT recalled.
The first in a series of controversies arose when there have been stories that an IG-rank officer gave Shashi Tharoor his phone instead of seizing it on the spot. His medical examination also couldn't be carried out as he were given himself admitted to a clinic the day after complaining of chest pain.
Another twist came when the then police chief, B S Bassi, transferred the case to Crime Branch and then took it back inside a couple of hours. It used to be mentioned that Crime Branch wanted to sign up a murder FIR to start probe.
Months later, the AIIMS medical board reprimanded the police for amassing evidence casually, following which a police workforce went to the Leela hotel to collect items of damaged glass and stains on the carpet and curtains.
The subsequent controversy used to be brought about when an SIT formed to probe the case used to be nearly dismantled. The IO used to be shunted out to a security unit and the DCP used to be nearly forced to move out.
Since June 2014, things sped up, a most sensible supply mentioned. On January 1, 2015, a murder FIR used to be lodged and a DCP named Prem Nath used to be despatched to an FBI lab with the viscera samples.
New officials have been introduced into the SIT, cell numbers have been intercepted, Tharoor used to be interrogated and his aides put through "third degree" as alleged by him in a letter to Bassi. A separate EOW probe into alleged irregularities in an IPL franchise started one at a time. Polygraph assessments and raids have been carried out, and Pakistani columnist Mehr Tarar used to be puzzled too.
However, forensic post-mortem on suspects gave case a brand new hire of existence.
Twists and turns - and a fair share of controversies
![Twists and turns - and a fair share of controversies]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
May 15, 2018
Rating:
