Woman paraded in Gujarat BJP MLA defamation case: Three cops suspended

Amreli: Three police personnel were suspended in Amreli in Gujarat after a woman arrested for allegedly trying to defame a BJP MLA claimed she was assaulted in custody.

Three local crime branch personnel have been suspended pending inquiry for negligence of duty after allegations were made by Payal Goti when she was in their custody, said Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kharat said on Monday.

Head constable Kishan Ansodariya, constables Bajrang Mulyasiya and Hina Mevada have been suspended.

Goti was one of the four persons arrested for allegedly forging a letter with the intention to "defame" Amreli MLA Kaushik Vekariya using fake letterhead, signature and stamp of the taluka panchayat president.

As per police, one Manish Vaghasiya, a party worker, used the fake letterhead, signature and stamp of complainant Kishor Kanpariya, the president of Amreli taluka panchayat, to spread messages on social media platforms with the intention to tarnish the MLA's image.

Goti, a computer operator, helped type the content on Kanpariya's letterhead, print it out on the fake letterhead and convert it into a PDF file before it was shared on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.

They were booked under various sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act pertaining to forgery, misinformation, and defamation, etc.

After getting bail, Goti held a press conference a few days ago and accused police of assault, arresting her at night in violation of norms and parading her in public in the name of reconstruction of the crime scene.

The Opposition Congress had slammed the ruling BJP for the treatment meted out to Goti and had called it an insult to the "daughter of Amreli and the Patidar community".