Unhappy with the pace of progress in the four-year-old atrocity case against Gujarat University vice chancellor Parimal Trivedi, the complainant issued a statutory notice to the police commissioner. On Monday, Pankaj Shrimali, who lodged a compliant against Trivedi in 2008, approached police commissioner to take necessary action.
According to Shrimali, the probe has been deliberately delayed, as the in-charge ACP of SC-ST cell has gone on sudden medical leave from February 9, without handing over the probe to another officer. In his notice, Shrimali alleged negligence of duty on the part of ACP DD Chaudahri. "According to the court orders, the probe should be completed before February 21. But the inquiry is heading nowhere, and no concrete step has been taken," said Shrimali.
In his notice, Shrimali cited section 4 of Atrocity Act, under which it is stated that any officer found guilty of not doing the probe in a proper manner can be made a co-accused in the case for indirectly helping the main accused. After delivering the notice at CP office, Shrimali met SK Saikia to discuss the issue. "I told him that this is the 2nd and last notice under section 4," claimed Shrimali.
After the meeting, Shrimali was assured a fair probe by Saikia, as he appointed a new officer to probe the matter. "He told me that KR Bhuva, ACP of L Division, will conduct the probe now. He also assured me that the probe will be completed in a few days," said Shrimali. Bhuva said that he had been given orders to probe the case. "I just received verbal orders from the CP. I will try to finish the probe as soon as possible," confirmed Bhuva on Monday evening. Trivedi is facing the charges of having passed abusive remarks over caste against Shrimali, a professor at GLS Arts College.
The complaint was lodged at GU police station on May 3, 2008. In his compliant, Shrimali alleged that Trivedi passed casteist remarks at him near the registrar's office in the presence of Pradip Prajapati, former senate member and suspended professor of GU.
