Rights panel for Rs 7.5L relief in Rohtak custodial death case

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, February 2

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) today recommended a compensation of Rs 7.5 lakh for a custodial death in Rohtak.

The case pertained to a quarrel between two parties when the police took the custody of a Dalit, Satnarayan, who later died an unnatural death.

Relatives of Satnarayan had approached the Commission in 2017 in regard to his death at the police post in Kahnaur, Rohtak. They alleged that he was taken into custody by assistant sub-inspector Dinesh Kumar and head constable Satish Kumar on March 11, 2017, but the relatives were not allowed to meet him till 5.30 pm. They further alleged that he was then taken to a hospital in a private car and was not able to walk. By 6.30 pm, he was referred to the PGIMS, Rohtak, where he was declared brought dead, they claimed.

The relatives reported the matter to the police the next day. Only after a dharna at the police post, an FIR was finally registered on March 21, 2017, for murder, and under relevant Sections of the SC/ST Act.

But the police had a different story. SP Rohtak filed a report before the Commission, claiming that after the quarrel, Satnarayan, who was in an inebriated condition, was taken to the police post on March 11, 2017. After a compromise between the two parties, he was handed over to his relatives. But as soon as he went out of the police post, he fell near the water tank and was taken to hospital, from where he was referred to the PGIMS, the SP added.

In 2021, SP Rohtak further informed the Commission that an Additional Deputy Commissioner’s inquiry into the matter had also given a clean chit to police officials.

However, the brother of Satnarayan, Chhatar Singh, filed his objections, stating that the cause of the death due to the fall was neither mentioned in the post-mortem report nor in the Forensic Science Laboratory report, therefore, the police blatantly misled the Commission by wrong interpretation of the medical reports. On November 9, 2021, the Commission ordered a judicial inquiry as required under the CrPC as well as under the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission.

Judicial Magistrate, First Class, Aditya Singh Yadav, in his report, dated August 20, 2022, stated that Satnarayan had died in police custody and the police officials had concocted a false story that the victim was handed over to family members while he was alive and healthy and suddenly had fallen on the road outside the police station.

Relying on the statement of a doctor who had first examined the Dalit victim, the judicial magistrate said Dr Naresh had referred him to the PGIMS, Rohtak, only under the pressure of police officials who wanted to create evidence to establish that Satnarayan was alive at the time of the medical examination at the CHC, Kalanaur, Rohtak.

He highlighted that though the FSL report and histopathology report did not support the version of relatives, there were three injuries on Satnarayan’s body.

While recommending compensation based on judicial inquiry, the Commission further recommended DGP Haryana to proceed further with the investigation in the case.

Cops concocted sTory

Judicial Magistrate, First Class, Aditya Singh Yadav, in his report, dated August 20, 2022, had stated that Satnarayan had died in police custody and the police officials had concocted a false story that the victim was handed over to family members while he was alive and healthy and had suddenly fallen on the road outside the police station.