Forest officials, doctor booked for beating man in Yamunanagar

Two forest department officials and a doctor have been booked in Yamunanagar district after a man alleged that he was beaten in custody. The FIR was registered at Pratap Nagar police station on April 14 following a directive from Gulshan Verma, Civil Judge-cum-Judicial Magistrate, Bilaspur.

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According to the complaint filed by Yasin, a resident of Khilanwala village, he was caught by forest officials near a forested area around 3 am on April 7. “They beat me on the spot, then took me to their Kalesar office where I was thrashed again by a forester, a forest guard and another official. My clothes were stained with blood. The next day, they wrapped me in a blanket and took me to a Community Health Centre (CHC) to hide the bloodstains,” Yasin told the court.

Acting on court orders, Yasin underwent a medical examination at the Civil Hospital, Yamunanagar, which confirmed two grievous injuries. The court then directed police to file a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the officials and the CHC doctor, citing negligence and attempt to suppress facts.

However, Rajiv Kamboj, Range Officer of Kalesar Forest Range, refuted the allegations. “The complainant gave a fake statement in court. He was among a group of 10 people stealing khair wood. When they saw forest officials, they fled. Yasin fell while running and was injured. We took him to the CHC for treatment,” he said.

The case is under investigation and further action will be taken on the outcome of the inquiry, police sources said.