INDORE: "A real-life version of the Bollywood hit Jolly LLB 2 is unfolding in Madhya Pradesh — just months ahead of the scheduled release of the third film in the franchise.
Three police officers in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly linked to a 2009 fake encounter case in Neemuch district, have proceeded on sudden leave, amid speculation that they may be seeking legal protection as the CBI investigation in the case intensifies.
The officers—Anil Patidar (Additional SP, Barwani), Vivek Gupta (CSP, Pithampur, Dhar), and Mukhtar Qureshi (ACP, Crime)—have cited personal reasons such as family illness in their leave applications. However, sources familiar with the developments claim the move may be aimed at securing anticipatory bail, following the recent arrests of two other officers by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Last week, the CBI arrested Deputy SP Gladwin Edward Carr and Head Constable Neeraj Pradhan in connection with the case. According to sources, the two were summoned, questioned, and later remanded to CBI custody by a designated court in Indore.
The case dates back to the intervening night of February 7–8, 2009, when Madhya Pradesh Police claimed to have shot dead inter-state drug smuggler Banshi Gurjar in a gunfight in Neemuch. The police had said Gurjar opened fire after being asked to surrender and was killed in retaliatory firing.
However, the encounter came under scrutiny after several contradictions emerged. In March 2011, another drug smuggler, Ghanshyam Dhakad, was reported dead in a road accident in Neemuch but was later found alive and arrested by Rajasthan Police in September 2012. He reportedly told investigators that he had faked his death using the identity of a mentally ill man, Karu Lal, who had actually died in the accident.
Ghanshyam further claimed that the idea of faking his death came from Banshi Gurjar, who he said was still alive at the time—more than three years after the alleged encounter. Gurjar was subsequently arrested in Ujjain by Madhya Pradesh Police in late 2012. He is currently out on bail in multiple narcotics-related cases.
In 2013, Neemuch-based journalist Moolchand Khinchi filed a petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court (Indore Bench), seeking a CBI inquiry into the 2009 incident to establish the identity of the person actually killed in the alleged encounter. A year later, the High Court ordered a CBI probe into all aspects of the case, including the possible roles of the police personnel posted in the area at the time.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Khinchi said, “I have now filed another plea in the High Court seeking a status report on the CBI's findings over the last 10 years. As per the information I have, the CBI has identified the person killed in the 2009 incident, and that’s what led to the recent arrests.”
He further claimed that about 24 police personnel—ranging from constables to senior officers—were directly or indirectly involved in the encounter. “Six have retired, four are no more. Yet many of those linked to the case were promoted instead of being held accountable. The lowest-ranked among them is now a head constable, while the highest retired as an IG,” Khinchi alleged.