Four Gujarat cops booked for custodial death of two Adivasi youth

Gujarat Congress MLAs Anand Choudhary, Punaji Gamit and Anant Patel along with former party MP Amarsinh Z Choudhary have demanded compensation to the families of two Adivasi youth of Dang who allegedly died in police custody at Chikhli police station of Navsari district last week.

The Congress leaders also prevailed upon the administration to register an FIR against four policemen, including an inspector, sub-inspector, head constable and constable, charging them with culpable homicide and atrocity against Scheduled Tribe.

The bodies of the two Adivasi youth, were found dangling from the power cables of the computer room of the on Wednesday last week.

Sunil Pawar (19) and Ravi Jadav (19) were taken into custody by the police while probing vehicle theft on July 20. The next day, their bodies were found hanging from the power cables of the computer room of the police station.

The Congress leaders along with a large number of Adivasis from Dang district held demonstrations at the police station for three days following which the four policemen were suspended.

Navsari DSP Rushikesh Upadhyay said, “We have registered an offense in the incident after meeting the family members of the deceased…

Investigation will be done by Navsari SC/ST cell Deputy Superintendent of Police RD Faldu.”

“We suspect the police was trying to implicate the two youth in a vehicle theft case,” Amarsinh Z Chaudhary said.

On July 27, BJP MLA from Dang Vijay Patel, along with the families of the two deceased youths also met Navsari district’s Superintendent of Police Rushikesh Upadhyay and demanded registration of a case against the four policemen.

Dang MLA Vijay Patel said, “I condemn such incidents. I took the family members of both the youths to the DSP office and submitted representations.”