'I kept saying I wasn't the one': Typo puts UP man in jail for 22 days; clears name after 17 years

AGRA: Rajveer Singh Yadav was never the man police meant to arrest. But one clerical mistake — a single swapped name — landed him behind bars under the Gangster Act. And while cops admitted the error within weeks, the case dragged on for 17 years in court, wrecking his livelihood, his children's education, and his peace of mind.

Now, at the age of 55, Rajveer has finally been acquitted. A Mainpuri court, in its order released on Saturday, declared him innocent and ordered strict action against the policemen whose "gross negligence" cost him nearly two decades of suffering.

"I kept insisting I wasn't the one. But they didn't listen. They just picked me up and sent me to jail," Rajveer, father of three daughters and a son, told TOI on Saturday. "I fought the case for 17 years. At the time, no one even knew who had filed the case — they just saw my name and dragged me in. I couldn't work. I couldn't educate my children. I lost everything."

He added: "I somehow managed to get my daughters married. My son had to drop out. We were destroyed. I just want the officers who did this to me to be held accountable. At the very least, I should be compensated for what I've gone through."

The case goes back to Aug 31, 2008, when Mainpuri police filed an FIR under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) and provisions of the SC/ST Act against four men, including Manoj Yadav, Pravesh Yadav, Bhola Yadav, and Ramveer Singh Yadav — all from Nagla Bhant village, Mainpuri — following a clash allegedly linked to an election dispute. The Gangster Act was added soon after.

However, when the gang chart was prepared, the then SHO of Mainpuri Kotwali, Omprakash, made a critical error: instead of Ramveer, he listed Rajveer Singh Yadav — Ramveer's elder brother. The investigation was handed over to sub-inspector Shivsagar Dixit, the then SHO of Dannahar police station, Rajveer's lawyer Vinod Kumar Yadav said.

On Dec 1 that year, Rajveer was arrested. From jail, he moved a plea before the special Gangster Act court in Agra, insisting that he had been wrongly named. The court summoned the officers concerned. On Dec 22, inspector Omprakash admitted before the judge that Rajveer's name had been "added by mistake". The court passed his release order the same day.

Judge Mohammed Iqbal, who was then hearing Gangster Act cases, even wrote to the SSP of Mainpuri recommending disciplinary action against the erring cops. But despite the admission in court and the judge's warning, SI Shivsagar Dixit still filed a chargesheet against Rajveer — and the case continued.

The trial formally began in 2012. Once a dedicated Gangster Court was set up in Mainpuri, the case was shifted there. It was only on Thursday that the additional sessions judge (special judge, Gangster Act), Swapan Deep Singhal, acquitted farmer Rajveer of all charges. The court pulled up Mainpuri police: "This shows that gross negligence was showcased by the Mainpuri police due to which a man, against whom no case was pending, had to spend 22 days in jail."

The judge directed Mainpuri SSP Ganesh Prasad Saha to initiate action against Omprakash, Dixit and other officers involved. It also directed police to file a fresh chargesheet against the actual accused — Ramveer Singh Yadav. "I am yet to receive a copy of the court order. I will look at it and take action accordingly," the SSP told TOI.

Rajveer's lawyer Vinod Kumar Yadav said, "I am planning to move the high court seeking compensation for Rajveer, and to ensure that the guilty officers face strict punishment."