Dhruti suicide case: Court raises doubts over police procedure

SURAT: Navsari district and sessions court has raised serious doubts about the punchnama prepared by the investigative officer in Dhruti Patel suicide case. The court in its 13-page remand revision order said Navsari police's approach in the investigation is biased in favour of the accused.
Divyesh, Dhruti's husband, and Hiral, the deceased's brother-in-law, were remanded in police custody for seven days by the court last Thursday.The court raised serious doubts about the police procedure, particularly in reference to the injuries found on Dhruti's body. It observed that the police did not inquire into the issue as to how the victim sustained the injuries when she had killed herself by hanging. Moreover, the complaint was registered three days after the crime was first reported, the court said, surprised over the fact that the injury details of the deceased found no mention in the inquest report.
It was not clear from the punchnama as to how the victim reached the pipe on which she hung herself. There is no mention in the punchnama about the support that she had used to reach the pipe which was at a height of 6.4 feet, the court said. It also said that there were instances of overwriting in the report. The district and sessions court also said that the lower court's rejection of remand of the accused was unjust.