Ryan conductor’s torture claim to be probed: Top cop
GURGAON : A day after bus conductor Ashok Kumar alleged torture and coercion by the Gurgaon police in the Ryan murder case, city police commissioner on Thursday said the allegations would be looked into and appropriate action taken.
Kumar, the 42-year-old conductor accused of murdering Pradhyumn Thakur, a Class 2 student of Ryan International School, Bhondsi, walked free on Wednesday after a court granted him bail on Tuesday. He had been lodged in Bhondsi jail.
After reaching his village, Kumar told the media that the police beat him up, administered electric shocks and even sedated him in a bid to extract a confession out of him.
Kumar is not keeping well and has high fever. He also complained of body aches and vomiting on Thursday. Mamta, his wife, said he is in extreme shock and is not talking much to anyone. She said doctors have advised him rest.
Kumar told his family members on Thursday that he was not provided with a bedsheet in jail for fear that he might hang himself to death.
He said fellow inmates were convicted of his innocence and he suffered a lot for no fault of his.
Asked about Kumar’s allegations, Sandeep Khirwar, Gurgaon commissioner, said the matter would be looked into and appropriate action would be taken if any foul play is found. He spoke to the media on the sidelines of an event at his office on Thursday.
“We have cooperated with the CBI over the course of its investigation into the Ryan murder and will respond if questioned,” Khirwar said. He said the local police is in touch with seniors at the police headquarters for further action in the case.
Gurgaon police has been facing flak ever since the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprehended a Class 11 student for the murder on November 7.
Gurgaon police arrested Kumar on September 8, hours after Pradhyumn was found with his throat slit outside a toilet at Ryan school. Kumar was booked under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act on charges of sexually assaulting the eight-year-old.
However, on November 7, the Central Bureau of Investigation apprehended a Class 11 student of the same school for the murder and the agency ruled out the sexual assault angle.
After spending four days in police custody, Kumar was sent to Bhondsi jail on September 12. His counsel moved a bail application on November 10.
THE CONDUCTOR, WHO WAS RELEASED ON BAIL ON WEDNESDAY, SAYS HE WAS BEATEN UP, GIVEN ELECTRIC SHOCKS AND EVEN SEDATED TO EXTRACT A CONFESSION