JAIPUR: Dholpur Police officers have come face to face in the case of misdealing in illegal gravel mining. In a recent sting operation, CO( circle officer ) City Dinesh Sharma, who caught three police officials and a traffic in charge extorting money from vehicle drivers ferrying illegally mined sand gravel, sent a letter to the Bharatpur Inspector General of Police (IGP) with some serious allegations against Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh, a 2009-batch IPS officer.
It alleged that all the bribery is being done at the behest of SP Ajay Singh. But in a twist, the policemen have accused the CO City saying that it was actually him who used to extort money from drivers of commercial vehicles transporting gravel.
In the letter, written in Hindi, Sharma alleged that police officers in connivance with around 20 other men were extorting money from drivers of commercial vehicles at nine places on the national highway. The 27-km stretch of National Highway-3 comes under the jurisdiction of four different police stations in the area.
A large share of the collection was being sent to the SP, he alleged, adding that drivers were being beaten up and put in the lock-up for refusing to give money."This is extortion under Section 383 of the IPC, which is done by the SHOs of the local police stations, their associates and private men," he said in the letter. Their number remains five or more, therefore, this is an act of dacoity under Section 391 of the IPC," Sharma added.
CO City Dinesh Sharma had recently got a sting operation done on Kotwali police station in charge Nawal Kishore, Nihalganj police station in-charge Vinod Kumar, Sadar police station in-charge Vijay Singh and Traffic Incharge Yudhishhar. They were found extorting money from gravel vehicles. It is alleged that during the sting, ASI Bhanwar Singh had pointed a revolver on CO City.
The police officers have said that there is no evidence of extorting money anywhere in the sting video. They alleged that CO City is trying to defame them. The policemen, stuck in the sting, alleged that on June 4, when a truck coming from Madhya Pradesh was stopped and questioned, CO City not only threatened them but also released the truck mentioning that the driver was his acquaintance. After this, CO City tried to make sting operation and prove all policemen deployed there as corrupt.
SP Ajay Singh has said that only the CO can tell why he is making such charges. "The policemen at the Sagarpada check post had complained twice. CO City also complained about this policemen. CO City had been instructed to investigate. After his investigation, the police personnel were called for questioning. Despite all this, why is he still accusing me, only he can say", he added
Several other allegations were also levelled against the SP in the letter, sent to the IGP on Monday. When contacted, Bharatpur IGP Bhupendra Sahu said the allegations are being examined. "Many allegations have been levelled in the letter. There are many facts, which are being examined. Senior officers at the police headquarters have been apprised of the matter and suitable action against those found guilty will be taken as per directions from the police headquarters," Sahu said.
SP Ajay Singh had remained suspended for over two years during his probation period in a case of corruption. Singh was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in June 2012 for allegedly demanding a bribe through an ASI for registering an FIR, when he was posted in Ajmer as an assistant SP. The officer, who remained suspended from June 2014-December 2018, was acquitted in the case by a special ACB court last year.