8 booked for cop's death get clean chit

No evidence of anti-rape protesters involvement

The eight persons booked on murder charge for constable Subhash Tomar’s death during the anti-rape protests were given a clean chit on Tuesday by Delhi Police. which informed the High Court that “no evidence” was found against them.

Police, however, said they have found evidence of their involvement in destruction of public properties during the protests against the December 16 gang rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student, who later died in a Singapore hospital.

Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Delhi Police, told Justice G P Mittal that the eight youth were not involved in the constable’s death.

Luthra said “no evidence” was found during investigation that could lead to their involvement in the constable’s death, but their role was found in destruction of public properties near India Gate.

“We have done the analysis. We have electronic records (their phone location records). Police have found evidence regarding other offences including damage to public properties but found no evidence of their involvement in Tomar’s death,” said the ASG, referring to the case diary.

The eight youth — Kailash and Amit Joshi, Shantanu Kumar, Nafees, Shankar Bisht, Nand Kumar, Abhishek and Chaman Kumar — were booked under section 302 of the IPC after Tomar died on December 25, 2012 at RML Hospital.

Shantanu Kumar is a member of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party.

Charges of rioting and causing damage to public property were also invoked against them.

The submission by Delhi Police on Tuesday came during the hearing of a plea filed by the eight youth through their advocate Somnath Bharti for quashing of the charges.

The court fixed March 20 for final arguments in the case.
The eight were granted bail by the trial court on December 24.