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‘Custodial violence’: Ambala Police register FIR against jail officials
In his plea, a jail inmate had levelled allegations against the jail authorities and co-inmates having been subjected to custodial violence. Three days later, he was summoned to appear in the court where his “oath statement” was recorded and he stated that marks of injury were still present on his body
Following a local court’s order, the Ambala Police have registered an FIR against unnamed jail officials in an alleged case of custodial violence with an inmate lodged inside the Central Jail.
The background and other details of the inmate were not immediately clear. The criminal case comes almost two weeks after the directions of the sessions court that had initiated proceedings on January 21 on the basis of an application by jail inmate Nitin dropped in the complaint box.
In his plea, Nitin had levelled allegations against the jail authorities and co-inmates having been subjected to custodial violence. Three days later, Nitin was summoned to appear in the court on January 24 where his “oath statement” was recorded and he stated that marks of injury were still present on his body.
Accordingly, the court ordered the constitution of a medical board through the chief medical officer/civil surgeon for his medical examination and a report was sought the next day.
“...from the medico-legal reports (MLR) of the jail inmate, it is clear that injuries of abrasion blue colour bruise were found on his body. The duration of injuries mentioned in the MLR are also corresponding to the allegations levelled by the jail inmate,” the order read.
The court observed that the “allegations levelled by the inmate along with the corroborative medical documents on record Nitin appears to have been subjected to custodial violence.”
“Nitin has specifically stated that he was subjected to custodial violence twice i.e., on January 15 and 20 by five-six jail officials who gave him beatings by lathis after tying his feet and after hanging him upside down. Both offences are cognisable in nature...” the court said.
Based on the court orders, the FIR was registered on Monday under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC at Baldev Nagar police station on the complaint of chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Saurabh Gupta. The matter will be heard again by the court on Thursday.
