Jalandhar cops face inquiry for custodial torture
ASI didn’t inform his seniors that he was taking four into custody on the charges of snatching
JALANDHAR: The commissionerate police on Saturday initiated an inquiry against the Focal Point police post in-charge along with other staff members into the alleged custodial torture of four persons after suspecting them of snatching on Thursday night. The move came after senior officials suspended ASI Gopal Singh, the police post in-charge, on Friday night. The ASI and his team suspected the victims, migrant labourers who hail from Uttar Pradesh, of snatching `4,000 on June 25 night.
Anu, a resident of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, lodged a complaint with the Focal Point police that four bike-borne persons with their faces covered snatched `4000 from him on Thursday night near Focal Point Chowk.
On June 26, ASI Gopal Singh and his team took Daleep Kumar of Guru Gobind Singh Nagar, Manish Kumar of Model Town, Deepu and Santosh of Lajpat Nagar, all in their 20s, in custody from Focal Point Chowk when they were on their way to a qawwali night near a religious shrine at Reru village.
Singh, who had joined the police post as in-charge on May 19, did not inform his seniors that he was taking the four into custody on charges of snatching.
The ASI along with the staff beat them up with slippers and wooden sticks and kept them halfnaked, the victims claimed.
The SHO questioned them in the police post and found no incriminating evidence against them after which they were let off.