CID offers cash reward for info on absconding cops

Having failed to arrest four policemen accused of killing three Dalits of Thangadh in Surendranagar district, the CID (Crime) has announced a reward of Rs 15,000 for giving information to secure their arrest. The four, who went underground in September, were suspended from duty while a Surendranagar court had declared them "absconders".

The four have been identified as sub-inspector and main suspect Kuldeepsinh Jadeja, probationary sub-inspector Bharatsinh Solanki, assistant sub-inspector Nathubha Rana and constable Yogeshdan Gadhvi.

The CID has given advertisement in local newspapers declaring that the four have been evading arrest and are not traceable.

Jadeja is a resident of Madhapar village in Kutch, Solanki is of Botad town in Bhavnagar district, Rana is a resident of Thangadh and Gadhvi is a resident of Adadhra in Surendranagar. They all were posted at Thangadh police station when the firing took place on the intervening night of September 22-23 and noon of September 23.

They have been charged with murder and for having hatred for Dalits under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

On September 22-23, three Dalits were killed and one seriously injured in police firing after they went to lodge a police complaint over a dalit's scuffle with a local bharwad community member at a traditional fair in the town.

The deceased include Mehul Rathod(17), Pankaj Bagda(17) and Prakash Parmar(25).

The three absconding policemen have been booked for the murders of all the three deceased. Police had lodged the FIRs against the four after widespread protests against the killings. They are not only accused of killing the three, but also of framing false charges against Dalits in the case of rioting that is interconnected with the matter.

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