Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Mar 8: In a significant development, the State Government has accorded sanction for prosecution of IPS Officer Manish Aggarwal, who has been booked in a bribery case for releasing two suspects in an abetment to suicide case of a 21-year old girl during his tenure as SDPO Ramnagar.
According to a Government order in this regard, issued by the General Administration Department, sanction has been accorded for prosecution of Manish Aggarwal, then SDPO Ramnagar, now SP in PHQ Rajasthan and Yudhvir Singh, then Constable in SDPO office Ramnagar, in the trap case, FIR number 10/2015 Police Station Vigilance Organization Jammu.
The prosecution sanction assumes more significance in view of the fact that a lobby of IPS officers was trying hard to shield Manish Aggarwal, who got his cadre shifted to Rajasthan in 2014.
The accused IPS officer, as then SDPO Ramnagar, had demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 2.20 lakh through his Reader Yudhvir Singh from Makhan Lal, a Headmaster, whose two sons were implicated in a suicide case of young girl in 2013.
The deceased girl had committed suicide under mysterious circumstances and when the Police was investigating the case under Section 174 of the CrPC, a video clipping of mobile phone revealed that the victim was caught naked on camera, which apparently forced her to end life after jumping into a nallah.
On the basis of video clipping, Police arrested some suspects, including son of Master Makhan Lal, who was a witness to the videography incident of the deceased girl. However, during investigation, the main culprit, who had prepared the video clipping, was released allegedly in lieu of Rs 5 lakh graft while entire family of Makhan Lal, including his wife and daughter were kept in illegal confinement at Police lock-up. Besides, the Police also arrested second son of Makhan Lal, who was studying Engineering at Srinagar and was not even present in the Ramnagar at the time of incident.
The entire family was tortured for days together in the illegal confinement before release of Makhan, his wife and daughter with the condition that he would arrange Rs 5 lakh for release of two sons.
As Makhan Lal expressed his inability to pay Rs 5 lakh, the deal was settled at Rs 2.2 lakh, which was paid by him. However, even after receiving the bribe, both the sons of Makhan Lal were not released for demand of more money.
Frustrated over the mental and physical torture of the Police, Makhan Lal approached State Vigilance Organization and submitted a written complaint against IPS Manish Aggarwal.
During the course of investigation by VOJ team, Makhan Lal also deposed before the Court of Law under Section 164 reiterating his allegations against the IPS officer.
Despite the hectic lobbying by a group of IPS officers to shield the accused, the Vigilance team booked Manish Aggarwal vide FIR number 10/2015/PS VOJ and completed investigation establishing him guilty of gratification.
The case was pending for Government approval to prosecute the accused officer and the sanction in this regard was accorded by the GAD vide Government order number 11 of 2018, dated 07-02-2018.
Pertinent to mention that in May 2013, a Police Head Constable, namely Ashok Kumar, had also leveled serious allegations against Manish Aggarwal during his posting SDPO Ramnagar. He had alleged that the officer was indulged in corrupt practices and used to harass him one pretext on the other as he refused to obey the direction of the IPS officer to extort money from people for which he was assured 50 percent share.
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