Dehradun: The district court in Dehradun has acquitted three men accused of attempting to murder a traffic police constable in an 11-year-old case, granting them the benefit of doubt after finding that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.Additional sessions judge acquitted Deepak Sharma, a resident of New Delhi, and Ajay Sharma and Akash Thapa, both residents of Dehradun. The case relates to an incident on the night of Aug 7, 2015, involving traffic police constable Dharmendra Kumar, who was posted at Eucalyptus Chowk.According to the prosecution, Kumar had stopped a speeding car when its occupants allegedly attempted to run him over. The three accused were further alleged to have assaulted the constable, torn his uniform and attempted to strangulate him with a T-shirt. A case was subsequently registered at Dalanwala police station under charges including attempt to murder and obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duty.All three accused were arrested and remanded to jail custody. They were granted bail seven days later.During the trial, the defence argued that the accused had been falsely implicated after they refused to pay an alleged extortion demand made by the constable. The court, however, found that the medical report and other evidence did not corroborate the alleged assault.A significant discrepancy emerged in the medical evidence. While the constable claimed that he had been strangulated with a T-shirt and had sustained bleeding injuries, a doctor from Coronation Hospital deposed that there were no abrasions or swelling on his neck. Further, no blood stains were found on either the constable’s uniform or the T-shirt allegedly used in the assault.The court also pointed to several lapses in the investigation. The incident was said to have occurred on the stretch between Dilaram Chowk and Bahal Chowk, a busy and high-security VIP route. Despite the presence of surveillance cameras in the area, the investigating officer failed to collect CCTV footage.The prosecution had claimed that a crowd had gathered at the spot. However, no independent public witness was examined during the trial. The police witnesses produced before the court also denied having witnessed any assault.The court further noted non-compliance with prescribed police procedures. As per regulations, any injury sustained by a police personnel or damage to a uniform is required to be immediately entered in the general diary. However, no such entry was found for the night of the incident. The allegedly torn uniform was taken into police possession only the following day.Taking note of these inconsistencies, the court on Friday held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted all three accused.
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