48% complaints at HHRC against cops

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 24

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) on Wednesday stated that it had been receiving the maximum complaints against the police. It said 4,012 complaints (48 per cent cases) had been instituted against the Haryana Police in the past four years.

It said there were 1,213 cases against the police in 2017, 1,168 in 2018, 1,477 in 2019 and 1,054 in 2020. Addressing a press conference, Justice SK Mittal, HHRC chairperson, said, “The administration of criminal justice system is lacking. It is not as per established norms.”

Discussing a case of custodial torture, he said the police secured five-day remand, but released the accused after three days, claiming that the further remand was not required, but the accused died in hospital.

Citing another case, he said an accused complained that he was told to undress at “bakshikhana” (where undertrials are kept at court complexes) and someone clicked his picture. He added that the SP concerned had said it was routine practice and was done to prevent suicide. He said there were 243 complaints against the Jails Department in the past four years. “Unnatural deaths during judicial custody have been looked into. Departmental inquiries have been initiated on our orders. We have awarded compensation of between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh,” he said.