LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Dhanbad Feb 4: A Special CBI court here today acquitted senior Congress leader Ranvijay Singh, Santosh Singh and four others in coal trader Pramod Singh’s murder case.
Defence lawyer Sahdeo Mahto said that after 19 years of trial the court of Rajnikant Pathak today acquitted all six accused of the case- Ranvijay Singh, Santosh Singh, Inspector MP Kharwar, Ayub Khan, Asharaf Ali and Hira Khan.
The two other accused of the case the then Cong district committee treasurer Suresh Singh and Kashmira Khan, had died during the trial.
State Cong committee secretary Ranvijay Singh after the verdict said that he had faith in the court and the court gave the right decision. “Though I have to wait but whatever came that is the right verdict,” he said.
AICC member Santosh Singh, who had rushed from the Uttarakhand poll campaign to remain present in the court, alleged that CBI had implicated him in a false case. “ Now the truth has come out and the Court acquitted us,” he said.
Coal trader Pramod Singh had been gunned down near his BM Agrawal Colony-based house under Dhansar police station of the city on October 3, 2003. He was admitted at Central Hospital Jagjivan Nagar of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) where he died during treatment.
On the alleged statement of Pramod Singh before dying, police lodged an FIR making Ramdhir Singh and Rajiv Ranjan Singh (younger brother and son of late Suryadeo Singh, six times Jharia MLA). The police had also recorded statements of Suresh Singh, Santosh Singh and Ranvijay Singh under Section 164.
However, the case was later handed over to the CBI which gave a clean chit to Ramadhir Singh and Rajivranjan Singh after terming Dhansar police’s FIR and dying statement of Pramod Singh false.
The investigating agency made eight persons including Saraidhela police station officer in-charge MP Kharwar accused and filed a charge sheet against them in 2006.
