Maharashtra: 2 cops booked on charge of murder in 2018 'fake' encounter
Absconding accused in theft cases killed by policemen
Palghar (PTI): An FIR has been registered here against two policemen on charges of murder, disappearance of evidence and criminal conspiracy in connection with the alleged fake encounter in 2018 of Joginder Rana, a wanted accused in several theft cases, police said on Thursday.
The case was registered on Wednesday, two weeks after the Bombay High Court ordered that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by the Thane police commissioner, be set up for a probe into the incident.
The HC had also ordered that a report be submitted to the court within four weeks.
The court passed the order in a petition filed by Joginder Rana's brother Surendra Rana, who claimed the alleged fake encounter was carried out by police naik Manoj Sakpal and head police constable Mangesh Chavan, who were attached to local crime branch at Nallasopara in Maharashtra's Palghar district.
During an earlier hearing, the Palghar superintendent of police filed an affidavit claiming it was Joginder Rana who had attacked the police first.
As per the affidavit, on July 23, 2018, Chavan and Sakpal were coming to the police station when they spotted Joginder. When the duo intercepted Joginder, he took out his knife and started attacking them.
In retaliation, Chavan shot two rounds at Joginder. He was declared dead at a hospital.
Chavan and Sakpal were admitted to a government hospital at Tulinj in Nallasopara area for medical treatment, the police said.
Surendra Rana's advocate Datta Mane had told the HC that during and after the incident, public/eye witnesses had clicked photographs and recorded video clips which indicate the police carried out "fake" encounter of the deceased.
Mane submitted that Surendra Rana had made various representations to the Maharashtra government as well as senior police officials, like the director general of police and the superintendent of police at Palghar, seeking registration of an FIR.
Following the court's order, the Tulinj police on Wednesday registered an FIR against the two policemen under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), 386 (extortion by putting any person in fear of death) and 34 (common intention) and provisions of the Arms Act, officials said.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
