Six police officers get court summons on ex-councillor’s complaint

Former councillor of ward 30 Nisha Singh alleged that police had dragged her by her hair, beat her and arrested her without the knowledge of her family when she tried to stop a demolition drive by Huda in May 2015

Six officer of the Gurgaon police have been summoned to the district court on March 6 in a case pertaining to former Gurgaon Municipal councillor Nisha Singh.

Nisha Singh’s lawyer, Ashok Verma, said their main contention against the police is on charges of kidnapping and wrongful confinement by the police. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Singh had alleged that the police had dragged her by her hair, beat her and arrested her without the knowledge of her family when she tried to stop a demolition drive conducted by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) officials in Fathepur Jharsa village, Sector 47, in May 2015.

The Gurgaon police officers summoned for presenting their version are then ACP Dharna Yadav, five personnel of Sadar police station, SHO Vijay Kumar, sub-inspector Rani Devi, sub-inspector Deep Chand and constable Asha.

In her statements before the court, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member said a notice of the demolition drive was sent to villagers of Fathepur Jharsa on April 11, 2015. The following day, the drive was carried out.

On May 15, 2015, another demolition drive was carried out and without any prior notice, Singh claimed. She reached the spot after receiving ‘distress calls’ from villagers.

While recording a video footage and taking photographs of the drive, stone pelting between villagers and police took place and she was subject to ‘atrocities by the police authority’, her petition said.

Singh also submitted a report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to support her claims.

“The police officials concerned will appear before the court on the scheduled date and record their statements,” Ravinder Kumar, Public Relation Officer of Gurgaon Police said.

Singh’s lawyer, Ashok Verma, said their main contention against the police is on charges of kidnapping and wrongful confinement. Other charges such as a public servant disobeying law with intent to cause injury, destruction of evidence and voluntarily causing hurt have also been pressed.

Verma said during the demolition drive, the councillor asked police and Huda officials for a copy of the order allowing the demolition drive. When they weren’t able to produce the same, she started recording videos and taking pictures of the drive. The police objected to this and allegedly thrashed her with batons and arrested her.

Subsequently, it is alleged that the police took her to different police stations across the city, with her family being unaware of her whereabouts.It was only late at night that she was taken to the Civil Hospital for medical treatment, Singh’s counsel alleged.

She was also made to spend three days in Bhondsi jail after being charged by the police on charges of rioting and attempt to murder. She was later released on bail.

As per the order by the judicial magistrate Shatakshi on January 29, “...prima facie case has been made out against accused no. 5,6,7,8 and 9 (the five accused) under sections 166, 166A, 167 (public servant disobeying law with intent to cause injury), 204 (destruction of evidence), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 365 (kidnapping) of Indian Penal Code. Therefore, the present complaint is partly allowed.”