Four police officers, including the station house officer (SHO), were booked on Sunday in connection with the alleged assault of a 16-year-old Dalit boy in police custody in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi town, police said.
Additional superintendent of police (SP) Anil Sahoo said, “The family lodged a complaint with SP Brijesh Jyoti Upadhyay on Sunday, following which we launched a probe into the matter. The boy is now admitted to NIMS hospital in Jaipur.”
The victim was taken into custody on April 21 in connection with a two-wheeler theft case, police said. The officers confirmed the CCTV footage of the incident.
According to Sahoo, Dara Singh, SHO of UIT police station, made the victim speak to his family and told them about the alleged assault in custody.
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Next day, when the family reached the police station, two constables barred them from meeting the boy.
{{/usCountry}}Next day, when the family reached the police station, two constables barred them from meeting the boy.
{{/usCountry}}On April 23, they received another call from the SHO informing them that the victim was admitted to a local hospital. The family found the victim unconscious upon reaching the hospital, police said.
“Doctor said his condition is serious,” said Sahoo.
The family tried to capture photos and videos of victim’s injuries, however, the SHO allegedly rebuked them and made them delete the clips.
“Meanwhile, his condition deteriorated and he was referred to the NIMS hospital in Jaipur on Sunday for a lung infection, while his cousin also submitted a complaint to the SP,” Sahoo said.
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A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against SHO, and constables Govind, Pavan Yadav, and Gopal Kumar.
“A medical examination was also conducted based on the allegations. We are probing the matter,” said SP Upadhyay.
The incident has sparked a political row, with former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and leader of opposition in Rajasthan assembly Tikaram Jully criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled-state government.
Jully visited the victim on Monday and called this incident “deeply condemnable” on X. He further added that the victim has “fractures in both his legs...The Bhiwadi police also tortured the victim in a drum of water, due to which he developed a lung infection. He is fighting for his life in the ICU.”
“It is shameful that police did not even lodge the FIR initially until our LoP raised the matter and contacted them,” former CM Gehlot said.