Gambling suspects allege torture by Ahmedabad rural cops

AHMEDABAD: Another case of custodial torture has been reported, this time from the jurisdiction of Ahmedabad rural police, as a 34-year-old man, accused in gambling case, was allegedly beaten by cops at Vithlapur police station on Monday. The man, whose limbs turned black and blue after the severe thrashing, was hospitalized for treatment.
After receiving a complaint from the victim, Shravan Jhala, a resident of Dadhana village of Mandal taluka in Ahmedabad district, an inquiry was ordered against PSI B S Chauhan, who was then transferred to Viramgam town police station.
On Monday afternoon, Vithlapur police received an input that Jhala was running a gambling den at his house in Dadhana village. A team of Vithlapur police then reached at Jhala’s place and caught five persons on charges of gambling.
Jhala and four persons, his brother Dharmendra Jhala and others identified as Talubha Jhala, Vipulji Thakor and Mahipat Jhala, were arrested and taken to Vithlapur police station.
At the police station, Shravan and the others were allegedly beaten up by Chauhan and a constable, in which they suffered internal injuries.
A relative of Shravan Jhala’s, Mahesh Jhala, told TOI, “Shravan was admitted to a referral hospital and then the community health centre at Bechraji, where a medico-legal case was registered against the cops.”
Mahesh Jhala added that a constable had held Shravan Jhala and Chauhan belted him severely to make him confess to the crime.
Assistant superintendent of police, Ahmedabad rural, Praveen Kumar, said, “After I came to know about the complaint, I transferred the PSI, who was the SHO at Vithlapur, to Viramgam town police station. I will conduct an inquiry against him as well.”