‘Instead of taking him to hospital, police took my son to magistrate’ Goliya cremated in Barmer, pyre lit by 3-year-old son
BARMER CUSTODIAL DEATH RTI activist Goliya’s mother blames police for son’s death
BARMER: A day after RTI activist Jagdish Goliya died in the custody of Pachpadra police here on Sunday, his mother blamed the police for Goliya’s death saying that instead of taking her son to hospital, they took him to magistrate.
“If police had taken him to hospital on time, he would not have died,” said Varju Devi, Goliya’s mother, in her complaint to police, on the basis of which a murder case has been lodged against the station house officer (SHO) of Pachpadra police station and nine other policemen.
“My son died due to police negligence,” she added.
The magistrate, before whom Goliya was presented on Sunday, also said that police should have first taken him to hospital.
Goliya, who was arrested by the Pachpadra police on Saturday in connection with a land dispute, died on Sunday.
After his death, the SHO of Pachpadra police station was suspended and other policemen of the police station were sent to the lines. Later, a case of murder was registered against the police officer and nine other policemen.
The case reminds of the Rakbar Khan case of Alwar in which police were blamed for not taking the man to hospital until they sent the cows recovered from him to a shelter. Trial in the case is going on.
Pachpadra tehsildar and executive magistrate Naresh Soni, who heard the bail applications of two others arrested with Goliya, said that he had ordered the police to take the man to hospital first. “When Goliya was presented before me, his condition was critical. I directed the police to take him to hospital immediately,” he said. “I was at home when I was told about the bail application of three accused. I went to my office, which is located across the road from my residence. On the way to office, I saw a man lying on ground and surrounded by four-five people. His condition seemed critical. Later, he was identified as Goliya. I directed the police to take him to hospital immediately,” Soni said on Monday. According to the court manual, it is necessary to hear both, the prosecution and the accused, before deciding on a BARMER: RTI activist Jagdish Goliya, who died in the Pachpadra police custody on Sunday, was cremated in Barmer on Monday. His 3-year-old son lit the pyre.
Goliya, 42, was declared dead on arrival when police took him to hospital on Sunday evening after the magistrate before whom he was produced ordered for it.
Goliya worked as a document writer outside the district collector’s office in Barmer and was the only earning member of his family. He lost his father when he was only 3; the 65-year-old mother is a retired government schoolteacher. His wife is a home maker and the couple has two children, an 8-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son.
The postmortem was done on Sunday night in the presence of a judicial magistrate and videotaped. The body was handed over to family after the autopsy, police said.
Barmer superintendent of police Sharad Choudhary said the probe into the activist’s death had been given to Balotra circle officer Subhash Chandra Khoja.
Earlier, the SP said said the station house officer (SHO) of the Pachpadra police station, Saroj Choudhary, had been suspended and all 22 staff sent to the police line. “On the basis of complaint by the activist’s mother, Saroj Choudhary and nine others have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the SP said.
Goliya’s mother Varju Devi said that she and her son were working on their farm in Sarana village on Saturday when some people, belonging to their family, came and beat up Goliya. “SHO Saroj Choudhary and other policemen reached there after being informed about the incident and arrested Goliya, his
On the basis of complaint by the activist’s mother, Saroj Choudhary and nine others have been booked under sections 302, 147 and 120B of the IPC
SHARAD CHOUDHARY, SP
cousins Gopal Singh and Mahendra Singh,” she said in the complaint.
Devi also said the accused had earlier threatened her son that t hey will f i l e a case of rape against him.
She said her son had complained to the Barmer superintendent of police on September 23, who had directed the Pachpadra police to take necessary action. She alleged that despite the SP’S direction, Pachpadra police did not take any action in the case.
According to the police, Goliya, Gopal Singh and Mahendra Singh were arrested on Saturday under section 151 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC) over a land dispute within the family. Police said they were presented before the magistrate for bail on Sunday.
Police said Gopal Singh and Mahendra Singh were granted bail and Goliya was ordered to be taken to hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.