Jaipur,August 21: Rajasthan’s additional director general of police A. K. Jain, then chief of the special operation group, announces a reward of ` 25,000 on bootlegger Dara Singh.
The officer had, in fact, made the announcement without consulting the local SP and the IG Circa 2011: The CBI, probing the alleged fake encounter which killed the bootlegger, puts up posters of Jain, four other policemen and a liquor contractor all over state capital Jaipur. They also offer rewards for the absconders in the case LIFE has come full circle for A. K. Jain. Not only has the disgraced additional director general of police had to suffer the ignominy of sharing wall space with wanted criminals, but the Rajasthan High Court has also denied the suspended officer’s anticipatory bail plea.
Bootlegger Dara Singh was killed in a “ staged encounter” with the special operation group ( SOG) on the outskirts of Jaipur on October 23, 2006.
Rejecting the petition of Jain, an accused in the fake encounter case, the high court said it felt constrained to interfere in the matter in view of a recent Supreme Court directive to arrest the absconding accused in the case. The court rejected the bail application without going into its merits.
Sharing pride of place with Jain on the walls outside the Jaipur railway station, the Sindhi Camp bus stand and other public places, are some of his colleagues. The other police officers are additional SP Arshad Ali, sub- inspectors Rajesh Chaudhary and Zulfikar Ali and head constable Arvind Bharadwaj. The investigating agency has also offered a reward for any information on them.
On October 23, 2006, Dara was on his way to Ajmer by bus when a team from the SOG of the state police intercepted the vehicle.
The team made him and an associate, with whom he was travelling, get down near Mansarovar colony on the Jaipur- Ajmer highway.
The police had claimed that Dara and his associate had opened fire on the team and tried to escape. In the subsequent encounter, he was shot and succumbed to his injuries, while his associate escaped. The police claimed to have found a country- made pistol in his possession.
Dara’s associate is yet to be identified or located.
In April last year, the Supreme Court had directed the CBI to investigate the case following an appeal by Dara’s wife Sushila Devi, who accused the SOG of abducting her husband and killing him.
This June, the investigating agency filed a chargesheet against 16 accused, including 15 state police officers and a private person. It had also named Rajendra Singh Rathore, who was a minister in the erstwhile Vasundhara Raje- led BJP regime.
While 10 accused have been arrested so far, five policemen — including Jain — are absconding.
THE SHAMEFUL TRAIL
Dara Singh is killed in a police ‘ encounter’ on October 23, 2006
Dara’s wife Sushila Devi lodges an FIR with Mansarovar police station, accusing cops of staging a fake shootout
In April 2007, Jaipur’s chief judicial magistrate finds the encounter fake and orders filing of a report against the cops
In April 2010, SC orders CBI probe into the case
In June 2011, CBI files a chargesheet against 16 accused, including 15 cops