NCP demands judicial probe into party's Corporator "custodial" death case

Nawab Malik/ File Pic

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe calling it as the "custodial death" of a party corporator from Ahmednagar earlier this week. He also alleged that Ahmednagar police officials thrashed the 55-year-old the corporator, Kailas Giravale during their custody from April 11 to April 15.

Giravale, arrested for allegedly vandalising the office of Ahmednagar SP, died due to a heart attack at Pune's Sassoon Hospital while he was under judicial custody, on April 16.

"Giravale was beaten by a local crime branch inspector, an Ahmednagar police inspector, a police inspector, and a constable when he was in police custody from April 11 to 15," Malik said while addressing a press conference here. He said Giravale took ill on April 15 and was admitted to (Ahmednagar) civil hospital the same day.

"Giravale had undergone"a gastric bypass surgery" recently," he said. The NCP leader alleged that the police got Giravale's custody "changed" to judicial custody.

"Giravale had disclosed to his sister the names of the four police officials who had beaten him up," Malik claimed.

Ahmednagar superintendent of police Ranjankumar Sharma had said that Giravale was admitted to Sassoon hospital on April 15 after he complained of severe chest pain, suffered a heart attack and died around midnight the next day. Demanding a probe by a retired judge of high court, Malik said the NCP was not convinced about the CID inquiry into the case.

Malik demanded suspension of the four police officials.

"We will write to the chief minister about our demand tomorrow. If our demand is not accepted, we will take to streets in Ahmednagar," he said. The Ahmednagar councilor, a supporter of NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap, was arrested on April 8 by the Bhingar police for allegedly vandalising the SP's office in the Western Maharashtra district.

The ransacking took place after Jagtap, an MLA from Ahmednagar district, was detained at the SP's office in connection with the killing of two local Shiv Sena leaders, allegedly over a political rivalry in local polls.

Initially, Giravale was sent in two-day police custody by a local court and shifted to the Nashik Central Prison on April 10 after being remanded in judicial custody. While in judicial custody, he was produced before a magistrate on April 14 and sent to one-day police custody in another offence registered at the Kotwali police station in Ahmednagar district in Western Maharashtra, the SP had said.

On April 15, he complained of chest pain and was referred to the civil hospital in Ahmednagar from where he was shifted to the Sassoon Hospital for further treatment, said the official. The corporator was in judicial custody till April 27. Malik also demanded the sacking of Ahmednagar guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar, also MoS for Home, in connection with the protests that followed the killing of two Sena leaders in Kedgaon earlier this month.

"Cases were not filed by the police against 600 Shiv Sainiks involved in the arsoning because of Kesarkar and former Shiv Sena MLA Anil Rathod," he alleged.

Also Read: NCP Corporator Dies Due To Heart Attack In Judicial Custody In Pune

Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from PTI

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