Widen prisoners' relief policy ambit, rights panel tells Haryana government

Tribune News Service

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, January 14

Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has found fault with the compensation policy of the state government, saying it allows relief only in the case of unnatural deaths of prisoners in jails, but leaves out deaths in police custody and juvenile homes.

The commission has announced a compensation of Rs 7.5 lakh to the kin of a victim of police custody death, while calling for amendments in the compensation policy. Geeta Devi, sarpanch of Kaluana village in Sirsa, had approached the commission in 2018, alleging her husband Jagdev Singh had died of police torture. He was arrested in a case of criminal breach of trust by a public servant (under Section 409 of IPC) on October 13, 2017, and later died of injuries on October 15, 2017, at Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.

The post-mortem was conducted by a board of doctors from the AIIMS, New Delhi.

The police claimed that Jagdev sustained injuries as he jumped from a running police gypsey. However, Metropolitan Magistrate, Delhi, in his inquiry report, had termed the police story “flimsy” as Jagdev had sustained 17 injuries and the Haryana Police had failed to produce him before a magistrate within 24 hours, though 48 hours had passed after his admitted arrest. Moreover, the Metropolitan Magistrate pointed out that the police gypsey was driven by an official of Sub Inspector rank and not a designated driver.

After that, a case was registered against the police officials on April 7, 2018. After the commission’s congnisance of the case and finding that no action was being taken against the accused policemen for a long time, DGP (Crime), Haryana, submitted that a challan was submitted in the court against Inspector Satvir Singh and ASI Jagat Ram on June 3, 2021, as because of their negligence Jagdev had sustained injuries.

On the government’s notification dated June 29, 2021, the commission said the policy for grant of compensation covered only prisoners confined to jails. It said the notification was required to be amended to include undertrials in police custody and also “children in conflict with law in observation homes, special homes or place of safety”.

The commission’s bench, comprising Justices KC Puri (retd) and Deep Bhatia, recommended to the Home ACS to grant Rs 7.5 lakh to the legal heirs of Jagdev.

Rs7.5 Lakh compensation granted

• Haryana Human Rights Commission announced Rs7.5 lakh compensation to the kin of Jagdev Singh who allegedly died of police torture in 2017. The police claimed Jagdev jumped from a moving police gypsey, but failed to prove it
• “No explanation has come from the police officials as to how Jagdev jumped from the moving vehicle and why they couldn’t stop him. It’s a case of custodial death of an undertrial in police custody due to officials’ negligence,” the commission said

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