BENGALURU: The report submitted by DCP (Central Armed Reserve - South) on Sunday’s shootout at Nimhans is said to be inconclusive and senior police officials have decided to seek certain clarifications from the DCP.
Vishwanath, a 22-year-old mentally-ill undertrial, was shot dead by the Garuda Force commandos at the jail ward in Nimhans hospital on Sunday evening, after he snatched a rifle from a constable and fired 23 rounds. City Police Commissioner N.S. Megharikh had ordered a departmental inquiry to find out whether there were any lapses on the part of the policemen guarding the jail ward.
Police sources said that DCP (CAR-South) Kantharajappa submitted the report to Joint Commissioner of Police (CAR) Roopa D. on Monday evening. “It mentions that only Armed Police Constable (APC), identified as Sharanappa Ningappa Vadiger, was on duty when the incident took place,” an official said.
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In the report, the DCP has reportedly not mentioned anything that would indicate that there were lapses on the part of the policemen. However, senior officials suspect that some of the cops were absent without permission when the incident took place. “As per procedure, there should be one head constable and two constables deputed round the clock. But the report talks only about the presence of Sharanappa. There is no clarity on where the other constable had gone when the incident took place. The head constable had also gone out citing health problems. But, he had not informed his seniors that he was going out and Mr Sharanappa was left alone,” the official said.
Ms Roopa told Deccan Chronicle that several questions remain unanswered in the report and she would seek clarification from the DCP. “Soon after I get the reply, I will submit the report to the Police Commissioner,” she said.
Undertrial suffered from personality disorder
The state-run National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) has put a gag on doctors speaking about the incident with the media. “It violates the rights of the patient if the diagnosis is revealed,” said a top ranking official. Sources, however, said that the the 22-year-old Vishwanath was suffering from personality disorder with antisocial behaviour and also of showing no remorse.
KSHRC takes up suo motu case
The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has taken up a suo motu case on the Nimhans incident. The commission, which has taken up the case based on the media reports on Monday, has reportedly sought a report from the city police on gunning down a mentally unstable undertrial.
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City Police Commissioner N.S. Megharikh said that senior officials decided to call in the Garuda Force commandos as they did not want to take any chances. “Vishwanath was not paying heed to the requests made by the police to surrender. He did not even listen to his mother, who asked him to surrender to the police. What if he had come out of the guardroom by breaking open the door? It would have posed a threat to several lives. That is the reason we called in the Garuda Force,” he said.
On Monday morning, a team of five ballistic experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory visited the spot and gathered several details about the incident. They examined the spot for over six hours. They collected details on how many bullets were fired by Vishwanath and the Garuda Force commandos. The police on Monday deputed extra force at the jail ward, where the incident took place.
Post-mortem on Tuesday
Vishwanath’s body was shifted from Nimhans to the Victoria Hospital mortuary on Monday evening. The body was shifted, as Nimhans doctors conduct postmortem of only accident victims and those who died during treatment as inpatients. The mortuary reportedly lacks forensic medicine doctors, who generally conduct the postmortem in crime cases.
It is said that the postmortem will be conducted on Tuesday morning. Vishwanath’s mother Bhagyamma, who was at the Victoria Hospital, did not wish to speak to reporters. “I have left my another son at home and I have to rush back to look after him. Please do not ask me anything,” she said.
