Haryana: Rights panel orders probe into alleged custodial torture in Karnal

Director general of police and the director general of health services told to submit detailed inquiry reports by December 17

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken serious cognisance of a case involving alleged custodial torture and directed the director general of police (DGP) and the director general of health services (DGHS) to submit detailed inquiry reports by December 17, 2025.

The directions were issued by member Deep Bhatia during a hearing (HT File)

The directions were issued by member Deep Bhatia during a hearing where the complainant’s father, Dharam Singh, and sub-inspector Krishan Chand of CIA-II, Karnal, appeared before the commission.

According to the records presented before the commission, an FIR under Section 379 of the IPC and Section 136 of the Electricity Act was registered at Nissing police station and investigated by SI Krishan Chand.

The SI stated that the complainant, Lovedeep, was arrested on April 14, 2023, and his medical examination was conducted the same day. However, the medical documents submitted were not clearly legible and no fresh injuries appeared to have been mentioned in that report.

In a statement, the HHRC said that it was revealed before member Bhatia that in another medical examination report (MLR) dated April 15, 2023, injuries were described, and their duration was stated to be approximately four to seven days old.

“However, the investigating officer was unable to explain the contradiction as to why no injuries were mentioned in the report dated April 14, 2023, but were recorded in the report of April 15, 2023. At this stage, SI Krishan Chand and inspector Dinesh Kumar (office of the director general of investigation, commission) informed the commission that, as a common practice, doctors usually mention only those injuries that the accused complains of during medical examination at the time of arrest, and a full-body examination is not conducted,” the statement read.

Expressing serious concern, Bhatia observed that the matter is extremely sensitive and directly relates to custodial torture.

The commission’s protocol, information and public relations officer Puneet Arora said that member Bhatia, in his order, directed the DGP to depute a senior police officer to conduct a detailed inquiry into the alleged custodial torture and to examine the modus operandi mentioned by the police officers who appeared before the commission.

Arora added that the DGHS has also been directed to submit a detailed report regarding both medical examinations conducted on April 14 and 15, 2023, by December 17, 2025. “The DGHS has further been instructed to ensure that, in future, every person taken into police custody must undergo a comprehensive full-body medical examination, and it should not be a superficial formality. Necessary directions are to be issued to all field doctors to this effect,” he said.