Senior lawyers, NC MLA demand judicial probe by sitting HC judge
Advocate Ahmed was joined by senior HC lawyers Mohammad Shafiq Choudhary, Owais Ahmed Choudhary, Parvez Choudhary, Mohammad Zulkarnain Choudhary, Anil John and Supriya Chouhan
Senior lawyers of the Jammu and Kashmir high court (HC) led by advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed and National Conference’s (NC) Bani MLA Dr Rameshwar Singh on Friday demanded judicial probe by a sitting high court judge into custodial torture of a 25-year-old Gujjar youth, who later allegedly died by suicide at his home in Billawar tehsil of Kathua district on Wednesday.
Addressing media persons here, HC lawyer Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed said, “We simply don’t have any faith in magisterial probe and fact finding probe by police. We strongly demand judicial probe by a sitting HC judge.”
If our demand is not conceded then we will be compelled to knock the doors of HC for justice, he added. Advocate Ahmed said that the 25-year-old was tortured to such an extent that he preferred to end his life.
Advocate Ahmed was joined by senior HC lawyers Mohammad Shafiq Choudhary, Owais Ahmed Choudhary, Parvez Choudhary, Mohammad Zulkarnain Choudhary, Anil John and Supriya Chouhan.
NC’s Bani MLA Dr Rameshwar Singh said that the magisterial and police probes were mere “eye-wash”.
“The poor youth was mentally and physically tortured to such an extent that he ended his life. He has left behind his wife and two minor daughters, aged two years and four months,” said the MLA adding that he has raised a demand of ₹10 lakh compensation, government job to his wife and action under law against cops, who tortured him.
“We are not satisfied with the probes ordered by the administration and police. We demand a judicial probe by a sitting HC judge. I also want that the video clip recorded by the victim before he died by suicide should be taken as dying declaration,” said Dr Singh.
The MLA also informed that victim’s old father was also taken to police station where they were beaten up.
“The victim’s father has told me that he clearly knows policemen, who picked them up from their home and then tortured them. The father son duo was beaten up at the police station,” he said.
Meanwhile, first class executive magistrate Anil Kumar, who has been assigned the task of magisterial probe, has requested witnesses and general public to record their statements before him by February 9.
“I, Anil Kumar (JKAS), executive magistrate Ist Class (tehsildar) Lohai Malhar, have been appointed as enquiry officer by district magistrate Kathua, into the matter so as to ascertain the facts and circumstances related to the incident and the cause of death which occurred at tehsil Lohai Malhar on February 5, 2025, and led to the death of one from tehsil Lohai Malhar. Therefore, It is to inform the witness(s) to the incident/all the interesting persons/general public having knowledge of the incident, through the medium of this notice, to get their respective statements recorded before the undersigned by or before February 9, 2025, during office hours in the office of naib tehsildar, Mandli tehsil Billawar,” read and official letter issued by Kumar.
After the death of the 25-year-old by alleged suicide, the Kathua district administration and Jammu and Kashmir Police, on Thursday, had ordered magisterial and fact-finding probes respectively.