JJB writes to GB Nagar top cop over police misconduct in court

Noida The juvenile justice board (JJB) of Gautam Budh Nagar has sent a letter to district police commissioner Alok Singh on Sunday to look into a matter where police officers allegedly handcuffed and misrepresented a teenager in a court on Friday (July 16)

Noida The juvenile justice board (JJB) of Gautam Budh Nagar has sent a letter to district police commissioner Alok Singh on Sunday to look into a matter where police officers allegedly handcuffed and misrepresented a teenager in a court on Friday (July 16).

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The Sector 24 police had produced a 17-year-old boy from Delhi — who was detained under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 414 (assisting in concealment of stolen property) — before a juvenile magistrate on Friday for his remand court hearing.

“Two sub-inspectors in uniform had produced the teenager before us in handcuffs, both of which are against the regulations. On questioning, the investigating officer took two hours to explain that it was an unintentional mistake and won’t be repeated in the future... The officer also took 30 minutes to locate keys and remove the boy’s handcuffs,” said Aneet Bhagel, member of Gautam Budh Nagar JJB.

The teenager has been sent to judicial custody till July 26 for allegedly snatching away a cellphone from a person, along with two other men, in Sector 12 on Saturday (July 15).

“According to Supreme Court guidelines and JJ Act Section 8, no suspect — whether minor or adult — should be handcuffed when being produced in court, and police officers should not be in their uniform. However, the rules are often violated. It is a clear violation of basic human rights. Special juvenile police units (SJPUs) must ensure that these rules are not being violated. We have written a letter to the Gautam Budh Nagar police commissioner, urging him to investigate the matter and ensure that such incidents don’t happen in the future,” according to Bhagel.

Senior police officers have taken a note of the matter.

“We are probing the incident. Action will be taken against the officers concerned for violating the rules,” said Kumar Ranvijay Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police, (zone 1).