Indus Valley Times

BHOPAL,AUG 19: Ever imagined a uniformed cop seeking guidance and help from a ‘Baba’ (religious preacher) in cracking a murder case.

No this isn’t a scene from any movie, but has actually happened in the real life in Madhya Pradesh, where an assistant sub inspector (ASI) of police posted in Chhatarpur district’s Bamitha police station, was seen on camera seeking divine help from a religious guru Baba Pandokhar Sarkar Maharaj in identifying the suspect in the July 28 murder of a 17-year-old girl.

Not only did the Bamitha police take guidance of the religious preacher, while investigating the case, but acted as per the Baba’s guidance by arresting the murdered girl’s uncle in the case.

Acting in the matter, the Chhatarpur district police superintendent Sachin Sharma has suspended the concerned ASI, A Sharma and also attached to the district police lines, the Bamitha police station in-charge Pankaj Sharma. “Further probe in the matter will be conducted by the sub divisional officer police (SDOP-Khajuraho) Manmohan Singh Baghel,” Chhatarpur district police deputy SP and official spokesperson Shashank Jain said on Friday.

A video of the ASI of Bamitha police station A Sharma seeking help from the religious preacher in front of a crowd of devotees has gone viral. In the 2.50 minutes video, the religious preacher can be heard saying that he has called out the names of few persons, but the one that he has missed would lead to murder’s actual suspect.

The religious preacher is also seen telling the uniformed cop that the prime suspect was from Majhguwan area, tracking who would help in getting to the bottom of the case.

“I’m not saying that the person whose name I didn’t take has actually committed the crime, but that person will lead you to the destination and truth will ultimately prevail. This will lead to a gang of four persons,” the religious preacher is seen telling the cop.

A few days later, the Bamitha police took into custody Tirath Ahirwar, the uncle of the murdered girl and claimed that he was under suspicion of his niece having illicit relations with someone. Doubting her character, he strangled her to death before dumping her body in the well in Ota Purva village under Bamitha police station area.

The arrested Tirth Ahirwar’s kin alleged that “Bamitha police station in-charge showed us the video of the ASI being guided by the Pandokhar Sarkar Maharaj and told that he (Tirath) was taken into custody after that. He (Tirath) was tortured in police custody and forced to admit having committed the crime and subsequently sent to jail, while three other suspects who were already in police custody were released,” a close relative of Tirth told journalists.

Shocked by the police action allegedly based on what the religious preacher asked the cop to do, the residents from Tirath’s village recently complained the entire matter to the Chhatarpur district police superintendent Sachin Sharma.

Taking cognizance of the matter, the SP-Chhatarpur district ordered the immediate suspension of the concerned assistant sub inspector A Sharma and also attached the Bamitha police station in-charge Pankaj Sharma to the district police lines. The sub divisional officer police (SDOP-Khajuraho) Manmohan Singh Baghel has been directed to further probe the entire case and related aspects.

-TNIE