Judicial probe ordered into Fazilka custodial death

Fazilka, March 7

Fazilka District Magistrate has ordered a judicial probe into the death of a scrap dealer Kewal Krishan Wadhwa of Ladhuka Mandi of Fazilka, who allegedly died in police custody on Saturday evening.

Sources said a judicial investigation has begun into the allegations of torture of Wadhwa, resulting to his death.

Meanwhile, the police have registered a case under Section 304-A of the IPC against Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurbaksh Singh and senior constable Harbhajan Singh. In his statement, SI Nirmaljit Singh said upon receiving a complaint by the panchayat of Behak Khas village, he had forwarded the application to ASI Gurbaksh Singh to probe the matter. He said when the ASI and the senior constable were taking Kewal Krishan to the police station, he felt uneasy. The police officials took him to the Civil Hospital from where he was referred to Faridkot medical college, but he succumbed on the way.

The body of Kewal Krishan has been kept in the civil hospital mortuary and post-mortem was yet to be conducted. —