Bhardwaj murder: Accused refuse test identification parade

Three accused, arrested for their alleged roles in the killing of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Deepak Bhardwaj, on Tuesday refused to undergo the test identification parade in a Delhi court.

The accused, including Sunil Mann, 26, and Purushottam Rana, 30, who had allegedly shot dead 62-year-old Bhardwaj on March 26 in his farmhouse in south Delhi's Rajokri area, were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Prashant Sharma

During the proceedings, the Delhi Police moved an application seeking their TIP.

The court marked the application to MM Jasjeet Kaur before whom Rana, Mann and third accused Amit, who was allegedly driving the car used by the shooters, were produced.

MM Kaur asked the trio, who had their faces muffled, as whether they were willing to undergo TIP but they refused claiming that the police had already clicked their photographs.

The court, however, told them, "You know that refusal to undergo TIP will go against you in the proceedings later on" but the three accused maintained their stand.

Earlier, when the three were produced before MM Sharma, Mann's advocate J P Singh moved an application saying his client be medically examined every 12 hours and the counsel should be allowed to meet him also every 12 hours.

The public prosecutor, however, opposed the plea saying it will not be feasible because there is a possibility that Mann may be taken out of Delhi for further investigation in the case and it may include some places where hospital facility may not be available.

The prosecutor told the court that their probe into the case is going on and the police is investigating the case from all possible angles.

After hearing the arguments from both the sides, MM Sharma reserved his order which will be pronounced later on Tuesday.

Mann and Rana were arrested yesterday when they had come to Patiala House Court complex to surrender. Rana was apprehended by the police just before he was to enter the premises.

Mann had managed to evade the waiting police and had entered a court room but the judge refused to hear the matter and handed him over to Delhi Police Crime Branch officials, who were present there.

The magistrate was angry with the conduct of the persons who were accompanying Mann on Monday and had refused to hear the matter.

The police had issued look out circulars against Rana and Sunil. Amit was detained by the police on March 31 and was formally arrested on Monday.

Bhardwaj was the richest candidate in the last Lok Sabha elections with declared assets of over Rs.600 crore. A real estate tycoon, he also ran educational institutions.

The police is also looking into the role of an insider who might have tipped off the killers about the movement of Bhardwaj and the topography of the farmhouse.

Around 40 employees were inside the around 25 acre farmhouse at the time of the incident. However, the two Personal Security Officers of Bhardwaj were not with him or inside the farmhouse when he was shot.