Shimla ex-SP taken to Delhi by CBI

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 18

Tightening its noose around members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Kotkhai minor rape and murder case, the CBI has taken former Shimla SP DW Negi to Delhi for interrogations while another member of the team, DSP Rattan Negi, has also been summoned to Delhi.

The CBI had arrested eight police officials, including the head of SIT and Inspector General of Police ZH Zaidi and DSP Manoj Joshi, on August 29 and Negi was arrested on November 16.

The CBI has debunked the theory of the disbanded SIT that Suraj, an accused in the minor rape and murder case, was killed by another accused Raju and suspected the complicity of SIT members in the custody death.

All police officials arrested on August 29 are still in the judicial custody while the police remand of Negi will end on November 20. The CBI is racing against time to conclude the investigations in the custodial death case as the High Court has directed it to file the chargesheet by November 30.

The CBI had summoned DW Negi and Rattan Negi for questioning earlier also but they were not arrested and the arrest of the former was an indication that the CBI has gathered some more information allegedly linking him with the custodial death case.

Suraj, one of the six accused in rape and murder case, was killed in the police custody in Kotkhai on the night of July 18 and later both cases were handed over to the CBI on the directions of the High Court on July 22 and the SIT was disbanded.

Race against time

• The CBI is racing against time to conclude the investigations in the custodial death case as the High Court has directed it to file the chargesheet by November 30
• The CBI had summoned DW Negi and Rattan Negi for questioning earlier also but they were not arrested and the arrest of the former was an indication that the CBI has gathered some more information allegedly linking him with the custodial death case