RAJKOT: A local court in
Jamnagar on Thursday convicted former IPS officer
Sanjiv Bhatt
and another person in connection with a custodial death case in 1990 in Jamjodhpur village and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The other five accused were convicted for custodial torture.
Special public prosecutor Tushar Gokani told TOI, "Sanjiv Bhatt and Pravinsinh Zala were sentenced to life imprisonment by the court for custodial death under IPC section 302, the other accused in this case are convicted for custodial torture.”
The chief district judge, DM Vyash, was hearing this case. Bhatt was then the ASP of
Jamnagar district
. According to the case details, there was a
Bharat Bandh call on October 30, 1990 over Rathyatra by BJP leader LK Advani. Fearing rioting and violence in Jamjodhpur village, then police superintendent TS Bist sent a police team in the village under the leadership of Bhatt.
The team detained nearly 133 persons from the village under TADA for allegedly damaging properties belonging to people from minority community. During detention, a labourer named Prabhudas Madhavji Vaishnani was allegedly tortured and he died during treatment at the hospital on November 18, 1990. The investigation was later handed over to CID crime
Gandhinagar.
Nimesh Khakhariya is an assistant editor with Times Of India.