Shiv Sena leader among four remanded in police custody

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 25

A day after the Punjab Government decided to hand over investigation into the attack on RSS leader Brig Jagdish Gagneja (red) to the CBI, the Jalandhar Commissionerate today brought four Ludhiana jail inmates on production warrant on a suspicion of their involvement in the attack.

The inmates were Shiv Sena leader Amit Arora, his domestic help Mani, Samar D’Souza and Bharti Sandhu. They were remanded in seven days’ police custody.

The Ludhiana police had on June 23 arrested Arora, along with Mani, on the charge of concocting a story of attack on him. Arora had claimed he was attacked on February 3.

D’Souza had surrendered in a Ludhiana court on August 12. He is an accused in a stage-managed attack on Shiv Sena leaders RD Puri and Arora in 2013. Sandhu was D’Souza’s accomplice in the attack. The Ludhiana police had arrested Puri on June 24.

Sources said the police had received a tip-off about the involvement of the four inmates in the attack on Gagneja. They were produced in court under tight security.

Journalists were not allowed to enter the court premises reportedly on the instructions of the Jalandhar police. A guard categorically said senior police officials wanted no journalist in the court complex.

After the hearing, police officials led by ACP (Central) DD Sharma left the court from the back door, thus avoiding journalists waiting at the front gate.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vivek Sheel Soni said the inmates would be interrogated to find out their role in the attack. “It is too early to establish or rule out their involvement,” he added.

Sources said ever since the Jalandhar police announced Rs10-lakh reward and a job in the police to anyone giving information about the accused involved in the attack on the RSS leader, the helpline number had been receiving calls about the suspects.