Tribune News Service
Batala, September 7
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) has ordered registration of an FIR and initiation of disciplinary proceedings against Balkar Singh, then SHO of Sri Hargobindpur police station, and Sub-Inspector Jaswinder Singh, the then in charge of Harchowal police post, over their alleged involvement in the custodial death of Navdeep Singh in July last year.
Action sought
The PSHRC has also ordered initiation of disciplinary proceedings against then SHO of Sri Hargobindpur police station and then in charge of Harchowal police post over the custodial death of Navdeep Singh last year.
Navdeep of Dhapai village, falling in the jurisdiction of Sri Hargobindpur police station, was nabbed by the Batala police under the Excise Act following which a case was made out against him on July 15, 2020. He was arrested the next day and subsequently sent on police remand till July 20 by a local court. However, on July 19, he died while in custody of the police.
Since it was a custodial death, the PSHRC, vide an order passed on September 2, 2020, asked for a report from the DGP (Prisons), Gurdaspur DC and Batala SSP. In his reply, the SSP submitted the post-mortem report, cause of death based on the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) analysis and the inquest report.
The District and Sessions Judge, Gurdaspur, had also directed the Chief Judicial Magistrate to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of Navdeep. The report was submitted to the commission by the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Batala.
“The (SSP’s) report is based on the statements given by senior police officers and close family members of Navdeep as well as the post-mortem report and other documentary evidence. As per the report of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Batala, there were as many as 20 injuries on the body. No explanation for these 20 injuries is forthcoming,” said the PSHRC order.
The commission has sought that the action taken on its report be placed before it within 30 days.
Custodial death: Rights panel orders FIR against two Batala cops
{$excerpt:n}
