J&K: Another ‘custodial death’, 4 cops suspended

Express news service, Sat, Nov 05, 2011, Jammu:

The Jammu and Kashmir Police are in the dock once again over the death of a youth under mysterious circumstances a day after he was arrested on November 1.

The body of 25-year-old Vijay Kumar, a former private transport vehicle driver who had turned to farming, was found in the fields near his house in Gulbadechak on November 2. His family members alleged that he was killed in custody and dumped there.

Four policemen including incharge of the Gajansoo police station, ASI Om Parkash Sharma, have been suspended and attached with the District Police Lines at Jammu. An SPO, Ranjit Singh, has been disengaged from service.

A departmental inquiry has also been ordered into the matter. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu , Sanjeev Verma, has also ordered a magisterial inquiry. The probe will be conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner Rohit Khajuria.

The police said Vijay was taken into custody on November 1 for a theft case and that he had fled the next morning. They claimed he had been arrested on charges of selling intoxicant capsules earlier too.

Vijay’s brother Kuldeep Raj, however, said that he was killed in police custody. He said on November 1, in the afternoon, Vijay was going to the fields where he along with his father had harvested the paddy crop. On the way, some policemen including SPO Ranjit Singh in a Gypsy stopped him.

Kuldeep alleged that Vijay was handcuffed and made to run along the police Gypsy for nearly a kilometre up to the Gajansoo Chowk, where the policemen beat him before before taking him to the nearby police post. The police, however, deny the charge.

Vijay’s mother Sushma Devi, 60, went to the police post where ASI Sharma told her that her son had been sent to Kanchak police station.

Vijay’s father Puran Chand, 65, said the next day a youth brought him a message from the Munshi at the police post to settle the case for Rs 2,000. According to him, he along with his cousin went to the police post where they were made to give their thumb impression on blank papers. The Munshi then asked them to bring back Vijay to the police post, saying he had fled earlier in the day.

The same evening, the family found Vijay’s dead body from the agricultural field near their house.

The next day when doctors were preparing to conduct postmortem, the police claimed to have seized intoxicant capsules from Vijay’s pocket, triggering protests from the villagers. Accusing the police of planting the capsules, the villagers held a demonstration outside the hospital. The authorities then suspended the policemen at Gajansoo post.

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