AHMEDABAD: A tense police operation turned violent in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad late at night when accused Dharam Singh, who was being taken for a panchnama in connection with the notorious Jodhpur rape case, allegedly attempted to escape by attacking the police team.
The incident occurred at Hebatpur, where the Anandnagar police had taken Singh to conduct a panchnama and recover evidence linked to the case. During the proceedings, police recovered two mobile phones allegedly thrown away by the accused.
However, the situation suddenly spiralled out of control when Singh allegedly lunged at Police Inspector R.S. Parmar and attempted to snatch his service revolver.
According to police, a scuffle broke out as officers tried to overpower the accused. During the struggle, a round was fired, striking constable Virendrasinh Rathod, according to differing initial accounts of the incident.
As Singh continued to resist and allegedly attempted to flee, Inspector Parmar fired another round to stop him. The bullet struck the accused in the right leg, bringing the escape attempt to an abrupt end.
With both the accused and the policeman injured, the police immediately shifted them to Sola Civil Hospital in a police vehicle. The firing incident triggered a senior-level response, with senior police officers, including the JCP and DCP, reaching the hospital to take stock of the situation.
Ahmedabad City, Zone-7 DCP Shivam Verma said the accused had attempted to overpower the police team during the panchnama and snatch Inspector Parmar’s service revolver.
"The accused was taken to Hebatpur for the panchnama when he suddenly snatched the service revolver of PI Parmar and tried to escape. During the scuffle, a round was fired and a constable sustained injuries. To prevent the accused from fleeing, PI Parmar fired at his leg," DCP Verma said.
The police have treated the incident as a fresh criminal offence, with the Bodakdev police registering a separate complaint against Singh in connection with the alleged attack, weapon-snatching attempt and escape bid.
"Another case will be registered against the accused at Bodakdev police station. Both the policeman and the accused are undergoing treatment for their injuries," the DCP said.
At the hospital, Singh was reportedly brought in with a gunshot wound to his right leg. After receiving initial treatment and dressing, he was admitted to the orthopaedic ward, where doctors began monitoring his condition.
Sola Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr Deepika Singhal said both the accused and the injured policeman were brought to the hospital at around 10.30 pm.
"Both were brought to the hospital after sustaining firearm-related injuries. The accused suffered a bullet injury to his right leg. The bullet did not pass through, but the impact caused a fracture in the leg.
After initial treatment, he was admitted to the orthopaedic ward and is under observation. Surgery will be planned depending on his medical fitness," Singhal said.
The injured constable was also initially treated at the civil hospital before being shifted to a private hospital later in the night after his condition was assessed as stable.
The incident has now added another serious criminal case against Singh, while the Bodakdev police have begun investigating exactly how the accused managed to overpower the officers, seize the service weapon and trigger the firing during what was supposed to be a routine evidence-recovery panchnama.
The sequence of events, particularly the alleged attempt to snatch the police weapon and the circumstances surrounding the two rounds fired, is expected to form the core of the investigation.