Sole accused pleads innocence in IPS officer murder case

Accused of mowing down the officer with a tractor-trolley laden with illegally mined stones, Gurjar deposed before judge Anupam Srivastava who asked him 72 questions based on the statements of 19 prosecution witnesses.

Registering his statements in court, Gurjar said a night before the incident occurred on March 7, he was taking his tractor-trolley home, when he met with an accident late night, in which his vehicle turned turtle and he fell unconscious.

"I woke up in police station on March 8, where the police thrashed me and forcefully took my signature on the documents without my knowledge," Gurjar told the court.

To most of questions asked, Gurjar answered by either denying or expressing his ignorance, his lawyer Mahendra Morya told reporters.

Gurjar also sought permission to produce evidences in his defence of which a list would be submitted to the court later, the lawyer said.

Meanwhile, based on the slain IPS officer's father Keshavdev's statement recorded yesterday, a fresh petition was filed by Morya under Section 91 of the CrPC requesting the court to present records of telephonic conversations of the slain IPS officer and the constable who used to provide money to the wives of the then Superintendent of Police and police station in-charge of Morena district.

Gurjar's lawyer also requested the court to bring on record a police diary.

The slain officer's father Keshavdev also filed a fresh petition in court requesting it to take statements of constable Kishan who had arrested Manoj Gurjar after the incident.

Keshavdev also alleged that the CBI has yet not registered the constable's statement. The trial will continue tomorrow.

The court has framed charges against Manoj Gurjar under Section 304 (culpable homicide) and Section 353 (use of criminal force to prevent a government official from discharging his duties) of the IPC and Section 181 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

Gurjar is accused of mowing down IPS officer Narendra Kumar Singh when he tried to stop the tractor-trolley loaded with illegally mined stones in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh on March 8, where he was posted as sub-divisional police officer at Banmore.