Thaindian News

Bhopal, Sep 13 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh Police and the Indian Air Force (IAF) were Tuesday grilling an IAF officer, who allegedly had an affair with sacked officer Anjali Gupta, as they undertook parallel inquiries into the suicide of the first woman flying officer to be court martialled and dismissed.

Group Captain Amit Gupta, who was detained Monday for questioning, was formally arrested by police Tuesday, Superintendent of Police (City) Rajesh Bhadoria said, adding that he was charged under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

He was brought before a court which sent him to 14 days judicial custody.

The body of Anjali was found hanging from a ceiling fan at the house of Gupta, 51, here Sunday night.

A resident of Delhi, Anjali after being sacked from the air force was working in a private firm in Bangalore. On way to Banglore, she had stopped over at Bhopal to meet Amit Gupta on Sep 7.

On Monday, Anjali’s mother, Uma Gupta, alleged that her daughter was in a live-in-relationship with Amit for almost eight years but he had refused to marry her.

The mother also said that she had complained to IAF officials about Amit sexually exploiting her daughter.

“A team of four IAF officials has reached here and begun a parallel inquiry into the matter,” Bhadoria told IANS.

Bhadoria also said that Amit was grilled both by Madhya Pradesh Police and IAF officials at Shahpura police station, where the family members of Anjali were also present.

Anjali, a former flying officer in the IAF, was 29 when she was dismissed after a general court martial found her guilty of charges including embezzling funds and insubordination and recommended in December 2005 that she be “cashiered” — stripped of her rank and discharged.

After a petition by her, then IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, diluted the sentence to “dismissal”.

She was accused of embezzling funds, throwing food at a superior, insubordination, indiscipline and having demonstrated “conduct unbecoming of an officer”.