Smita Bhaduri case: Three ex-cops given life term

The Anti Corruption Court Number 3 of CBI (Central Bureau Investigation) has sentenced three ex-cops life imprisonment in Smita Bhaduri encounter case on Monday. These cops were declared guilty on December 10 for murdering the female BSc student in a fake encounter conducted in Meerut district in 2000. There were 23 witnesses produced including Mohit, the eyewitness of the encounter in court. The cops were then sent to district Dasna Jail on Thursday last week, as soon as they were declared guilty by the special judge of CBI. “The special judge of CBI Navneet Kumar has sentenced life imprisonment to Arun Kaushik, then inspector of Daurala (Meerut) police station, his subordinate constables Surendra Kumar and Bhagwan Sahai for the killing of BSc student of Meerut College, Smita Bhaduri in a fake encounter on January 14, 2000. The fake encounter was counted near Siwaya village in broad daylight when Smita Bhaduri was sitting in a car with his friend Mohit Tyagi, a student of B Com in the same college. Then inspector of Daurala Arun Kumar Kaushik and his covering constables had fired many rounds suspecting them to be criminals resulting in the death of  BSc student Smita with her friend Mohit being critically injured,” said V K Singh, the senior public prosecutor of CBI. “Mohit Tyagi, the eyewitness of the fake encounter had lodged FIR against the inspector and two constables. S K Bhaduri, the father of deceased student Smita, had also lodged FIR against Arun Kumar Kaushik, inspector, constable Surender Kumar and constable Bhagwan Sahai of allegedly murdering his daughter. Later on, the state government and Central government had transferred the case for further investigation to CBI on April, 26, 2000,” added Singh.