Dehradun CBI court on Monday sentenced Uttarakhand BJP MLA Adesh Chauhan and his niece Dipika Chauhan to six months imprisonment and one year each to the three policemen in a 16-year-old case of illegal detention and bashing of a professor, his wife and son in a police station in Haridwar.

Sharing details with the media, complainant DS Chauhan, a retired professor, said that Ranipur Haridwar BJP MLA Adesh Chauhan’s niece Dipika Chauhan was married to his son Manish Chauhan. However, a rift was triggered between Dipika and her husband owing to some domestic issue. DS Chauhan, a professor by profession, stated that Dipika and her uncle, Adesh Chauhan lodged an FIR at Gangnahar Police Station, following which Haridwar police sent a notice to him, his wife, and son Manish before taking them into custody.

Notice sent to DS Chauhan and his family on July 11, 2009 asked them to come to the police station along with five lakh rupees, informed the complainant. When the complainant reached Ganganahar police station, MLA and his niece were already present there. Influenced and instructed by the BJP MLA, Ganganahar police station staff kept DS Chauhan and his family under illegal confinement for two days and then filed a case against them on the third day. According to Chauhan they were also beaten up by the MLA and the three policemen in the custody.

Unwilling to take this lying down, the victims filed a petition in the High Court, which subsequently ordered a CBI probe into the matter.

Pronouncing his judgment Dehradun CBI Judge Sandeep Bhandari found the accused MLA, his niece and three policemen guilty of keeping victims under illegal confinement and thrashing them in the police station. In his judgement, CBI Judge sentences Adesh Chauhan and Dipika to six months imprisonment and each of the three accused cops to one year in jail. One of three policemen passed away during the trial.

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