Gangster escape hot topic in House

Yash Goyal

The issue of escape from custody and nefarious activities of notorious gangster Anandpal Singh continues to figure in the Rajasthan Assembly, which is in session.

Anandpal escaped on September 3 last year near Ajmer and is suspected to have been present during an encounter killing of a cop near Nagaur recently.

The Vasundhara Raje government has been under fire from the Opposition MLAs, who while raising questions over the role of BJP ministers want a CBI or a judicial probe. Since September 3, 2015, the Special Operation Group (SOG), Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), and SPs of all 33 districts in Rajasthan have been on alert to nab Anandpal and accomplices Subhash Moond and Srivallabh.

Twenty aides of Anandpal have been nabbed, but the three key accused continue to elude the police.

The gang members had opened indiscriminate firing at a police team escorting the accused, leaving five cops injured at Khokhar village near Parbatsar in Nagaur.

Then, on February 21 this year, the Anandpal-backed gang members had an encounter with the police’s Quick Response Team (QRT) in which a cop, Khumaram, died on the spot, and another Harendra Choudhary is still convalescing in a Jodhpur hospital. On the very day SOG-ATS had arrested wanted shooter Shankar of Raju “Theth gang” and recovered arms and ammunition in Jaipur.

Considering foul play in Anandpal’s escape, the Rajasthan police sacked senior constable Shakti Singh and suspended 11 other cops escorting the accused in the van. A close watch is being kept on the vulnerable hideouts of Anandpal in Ajmer, Nagaur, Churu, Bikaner, Sikar, and Jodhpur-rural, IG (Ajmer Range) Malini Agrawal said. She added that efforts were on to arrest the accused against whom 35 criminal cases were pending in Jaswantgarh police station of Nagaur district since 2001.

Additional SP and Investigating Officer (SOG) Pawan Meena said a reward of Rs 5 lakh had been announced for information leading to the arrest of Anandpal.

Since the police-gangsters’ encounter in Nagaur on February 21, the Assembly proceedings have been disrupted regularly, amid walkouts by Congress members and Independent MLA Hanuman Beniwal, who openly accused two BJP ministers of shielding the Anandpal gang, which is active in liquor, property and extortion cases.

Home Minister GC Kataria refuted the Opposition’s allegations that he misled the Assembly on the shootout between criminals and the police, saying the shooters were accomplices of gangster Anandpal and it was uncertain if he was present in the shootout. Leader of Opposition (Congress) Rameshwar Lal Dudi said, “Like in Bihar and UP, criminal gangs have been getting active in Nagaur, Bikaner, Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar, Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu.”

Dudi targeted the BJP government, saying, “My uncle’s Fortuner was looted by the gangster in February and used in the encounter in Nagaur. After this, Anandpal escaped on foot but the police could not catch or chase him because the ORT cops either stood no chance against sophisticated rifles or had no order to open fire on fleeing criminals.”

Dudi said the Home Minister brought the Deepak Upreti panel report on Anandpal after several months of his escape on March 31, but it was not tabled as there could be alarming findings against the government. As per a reply to an Assembly question, about 54,000 criminals who escaped in the state are under the category of “most wanted”, carrying cash rewards of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. In the last five years, nearly 40 cops have sacrificed their lives in encounters and crime-related incidents but their next of kin are still waiting for special packages announced by the state government.