Mumbai: Scapegoat released, Sena leader, cops in the dock

The day midday reported how the Thane police and a Shiv Sena leader let a mentally challenged man languish behind bars for nearly a month to further their own vested interests the man was released and the joint commissioner of police has said that the role of the cops and the Sena leader will be investigatedDharmendra Jha in striped tshirt with his family at the Thane police commissionerrsquos office after he was released from Thane jail yesterday PicSameer MarkandeDharmendra Jha had been allegedly made the scapegoat in a fake currency case in which the name of Rajesh Sonkar vicepresident of the Maharashtra Vikas Mathadi Transport and General Kamgar Sanghatana a Sena organisation had also cropped up Dharmendra had been arrested on August 27 by the Shree Nagar police Wagale Estate Thane and had been in Thane jail sincemiddayrsquos report yesterdayldquoWe are happy that my brother is coming back home We have had a hectic month and after Dharmendra was arrested we went to Delhi to try and meet the prime minister and wrote letters to him and the Union home ministerrdquo Ajay Jha Dharmendrarsquos brother told middayldquoToday after all our efforts and with the help of Joint Commissioner of Police Law and Order Thane V V Laxminarayan who spoke to jail officials and managed to get my innocent brother out in a day Dharmendra was finally freedMy father and I lost around 15 kg running from pillar to post to prove Dharmendrarsquos innocence and I canrsquot tell you how happy I amrdquo added Ajay ldquoSubInspector S P Burve of Shree Nagar police station had taken money from Rajesh Sonkar and promised him that Dharmendra would be freed in an hour if Sonkar could make him confess to the crimeSonkar had taken him to the police station with the help of one Jeetendra Jhardquo said Udith Mishra Dharmendrarsquos brotherinlaw who had also been trying to get him freed ldquoI have ordered DCP Zone V Vilasrao Chandanshive to carry out an investigation into the matter and submit a report in three daysThe role of all the police officials as well as that of Sonkar will be investigated Jha has been handed over to his family membersrdquo said Joint Commissioner of Police V V Laxminarayan ldquoI had a tough time in jail They had told me they would free me in an hour but did not do soJeetendra who is my friend asked me to sit on his bike and told me he was taking me to have tea but took me to the police station and handed me over I didnrsquot say anything because I was afraid They did not even inform my family of my arrest for eight daysrdquo Dharmendra told midday after being freedldquoThe fact that Dharmendra was finally freed showed me that there is still some honesty left in this country I had almost given up hope of seeing my boy freedrdquo said Shivkant Jha Dharmendrarsquos fatherBackgroundOn March 15 one Sanjay Sharma had deposited Rs 339 lakh in SBI Thane of which Rs 16000 was found to be fake and the Shree Nagar police were informed The police learnt that Sena leader Sonkar had a role in the fake currency case but Sonkar allegedly bribed officials and along with SubInspector S P Burve implicated the mentally unfit Dharmendra who was innocent and had nothing to do with the case