Shivraj Chouhan seeks leniency for theft-accused ABVP men: Here's why
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has requested Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court Ravi Malimath to forgive two Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leaders accused of stealing a judge's car. On Monday, the police arrested ABVP's Gwalior Secretary Himanshu Shrotriya and Deputy Secretary Sukrit Sharma under the anti-dacoity law after they reportedly stole the car to transport a sick person to a hospital. They remain in judicial custody after their bail plea was rejected on Wednesday.
Act committed for a 'holy cause': Chouhan to chief justice
In his letter to CJ Malimath, Chouhan argued that the actions by ABVP members were "committed for a holy cause and done on humanitarian grounds for saving lives." He claimed that the intention of stealing the car was not criminal and urged him to withdraw cases against them, considering their future. A special court judge denied the ABVP members bail on Wednesday, stating that help should be sought with politeness, not force.
Court rejected bail saying arguments 'not justified'
Special Judge Sanjay Goyal, who rejected their bail application, said, "The accused, along with their other accomplices, forcibly snatched the key from the driver present in the government car parked on the porch of the railway station and committed robbery and dacoity." On the other hand, the applicants argued that the act was done to help a sick person, which the court said was not a justified argument.
ABVP defends actions of its members
ABVP's Madhya Pradesh unit secretary Sandeep Vaishnav defended Shrotriya and Sharma, stating they were trying to help a critically ill man and were unaware the car belonged to an HC judge. Vaishnav reportedly claimed no ambulance arrived for 25 minutes after the man was deboarded from a train at Gwalior station. The ABVP activists then rushed him to a hospital in the parked car, but he died due to cardiac failure, per reports.
Know about the incident
While traveling on a train from Delhi to Gwalior, some ABVP members reportedly noticed a passenger's health worsening. They stepped in immediately and informed their colleagues at the Gwalior station, Vaishnav told PTI. The activities then deboarded the man and transported him to a hospital in a vehicle parked outside the station, but he died, he added. The deceased has been identified as Ranjeet Singh (68), a vice-chancellor of a private university in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
