The Hindu : Sharma admits to his role: police

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 09, 2002

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Sharma admits to his role: police

By Devesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI OCT. 8. R efusing to comment on whether Ravi Kant Sharma, prime accused in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case, had signed a confessional statement, the Delhi police today said he had confessed to his involvement in the murder.

The Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), U.K. Katna, said that during interrogation Sharma "disclosed" that he was involved in the conspiracy hatched to eliminate the Indian Express correspondent. He said Sharma had also disclosed certain other things, which were being verified by the investigating officers. He refused to divulge details.

Mr. Katna said the investigating officers were also studying the disclosure statements of the other accused. He refused to comment on allegations by Sharma's defence counsel that the Crime Branch was not investigating the leads given by his client, who had also taken the names of some prominent politicians during his interrogation.

Mr. Katna said his department was satisfied with the progress in the investigations, but refused to divulge what evidence had been gathered on the basis of the disclosures by the accused. He said the evidence was being analysed and would be made public when considered pertinent.

Asked how many persons had entered Shivani's Navkunj Apartments on the fateful day three years ago, Mr. Katna said investigations as of now had established that only one person, Pradeep, had entered the flat and murdered Shivani. Earlier, the police had claimed that two persons had committed the murder.

On Tuesday morning, Sharma was confronted with the co-accused, Ved Sharma and Ved Prakash. His counsel alleged that Sharma was tortured on the night of September 7-8 and was made to sign some documents.

Remanded to

judicial custody

Sharma, and two of the five co-accused were today remanded to judicial custody till October 22 by a Delhi court.

The judicial custody of the three other alleged co-conspirators — Sri Bhagwan Sharma, Pradeep Sharma and Satya Prakash Sharma — was extended by 14 days. The other two co-accused, Ved Sharma alias Kallu and Ved Prakash, who had been in police custody, were also sent to judicial custody.

Accompanied by a battery of Crime Branch police personnel, R.K. Sharma was produced in the Court of the Metropolitan Magistrate, J.P. Narain, around 3 p.m. The Special Public Prosecutor, S.K. Saxena, submitted before the court that the Crime Branch did not require Sharma's custody any more. Hence Mr. Narain remanded Sharma to judicial custody.

Pandit R.K. Naseem, counsel for R.K. Sharma, moved an application before the court seeking direction to the police to investigate certain leads provided by Sharma during his interrogation. He also pleaded with the court that ``false statements framed by the police on which Sharma's signatures were forcibly obtained'' should be expunged.

Alleging that Sharma was subjected to third degree methods during his interrogation, the application said Sharma had disclosed the names of some prominent politicians. However, the police were reluctant to follow those leads. Mr. Naseem said Sharma was tortured and threatened that he could be killed in custody if he took the names of those politicians. ``In fact, the Crime Branch coerced him to sign some documents without reading their contents,'' Mr. Naseem charged.

He urged the court to segregate Sharma from the other undertrials lodged in Tihar Jail. The prosecution asked for some time to submit a reply.

Sharma's counsel filed another application urging the court for an independent medical examination of his client at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here on the grounds that he was tortured by the interrogators. The court issued an order to this effect to the Tihar Jail authorities.

Mohit Mathur, another counsel for Sharma, said hearing on another application regarding disattachment of Sharma's property, which had been filed on October 3, would now be taken up on October 11.

The court rejected an application moved by Surat Singh, defence counsel for Sri Bhagwan, seeking permission to meet his family. The Metropolitan Magistrate issued a notice to the Crime Branch to submit a reply to yet another application filed by Mr. Singh alleging that the police had forcibly obtained Ved Sharma's signatures on about 70 blank pages.

Meanwhile, two of the supporters of R.K. Sharma who had gathered on the court premises were detained by the police for raising slogans inside the court complex.

Sharma's supporters raised slogans against the Delhi police and followed him up to the police van meant to take him to jail.

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