Guljar Bhai, along with two others, has been acquitted from a Guwahati court after 22 months on ‘false’ charge of possession of cannabis.
By M. Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Guljar Bhai, who was working as attendant in AC coaches with a private contractor in Northern Railway, was arrested from the Delhi bound Brahmaputra Mail at the Guwahati station on November 30, 2010, along with two others Md. Attabul and Suresh Mina.
In an operation led by CID Inspector Putul Baishya, three were charged for possession of 33 kg of ganja or cannabis that was allegedly concealed in the ceiling of the train compartment.
Guljar Bhai
Nirmal Baishya, DSP, CID had allegedly got “secret information” that huge consignment of ganja was being smuggled and had hence deputed a CID team to raid the said train, led by Inspector Putul Baishya.
They were charge for the violations of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. However, the case fell flat in the Guwahati court as “the prosecution miserably failed to adduce positive evidence to implicate the accused persons.” The court hence acquitted Guljar Bhai and Attabul from the charge and set them free on September 29, 2012.
However, they had to spend about 22 months in jail on those ‘fabricated’ charges.
Guljar Bhai, a resident of village Achnera in Kerawali Tehsil in Agra district, was working with a private contractor as railway attendant. Speaking to TCN, 42 year old Guljar Bhai alleges, “The ganja was found in B-3 coach of the train and he was on duty in B-2. But he was brought there and then along with two others arrested.”
Guljar added that when the passengers in train protested, the CID Inspector said: Laden ka aadmi hai (He is a Laden’s man). We have secret information against him.”
The prosecution, in fact, could not produce any ‘conclusive evidence’ as all five witnesses were police personnels. No railway staff was even made a witness.
The charge against them was that they were sitting in the same compartment, and were “apprehended on suspicion.”
What is more interesting is that although in the charge- sheet it was alleged that the cannabis were loaded at the originating station Dibrugarh by Suresh Mina, he “was not made an accused in this case nor shown as an absconder,” the judgment noted.
Guljar Bhai was the only working member in his family. When he was arrested, he left behind him, his wife and three children – three sons and two daughters. He alleges their study had to be discounted due to debt and poverty. The eldest son, now 20 year old has to work, to support the family, he says.
Guljar Bhai has, however, decided to fight the legal battle and has complained against the CID officials involved to the Director of the CID, SP Kamrup, SSP Agra and the Prime Minister for intervention.
He is also mulling over legal battle, but as he cannot afford the expenses of fighting a case, he is in talks with some civil rights group.
“I am in debt now and working as daily wage labourer. CID destroyed my life on false charges,” he says.