E-Paper
Ex-Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa's big claim amid twists in son Aqil's death case: ‘His wife was tortured…’
Haryana Police has booked former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa and his wife Razia Sultana for their son's alleged murder.
Hours after the Haryana Police booked former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Mohammad Mustafa and his wife, former minister Razia Sultana, in connection with the alleged murder of their son, Aqil Akhtar, the retired IPS officer on Friday dismissed the allegations, saying the “truth will come out before the public in the coming days", HT reported earlier.
Reacting to the FIR registered on the basis of a social media post by his son, Mustafa Mustafa said, “The registration of an FIR absolutely does not mean that someone’s guilt has been proven.”
Also Read | Father-wife affair, ‘plot’ to kill: Shocking claims by Ex-Punjab DGP's son Aqil Akhtar before death
He added, “The real investigation will begin now after the FIR is registered, and in a few days, the truth will come out before the public.”
Aqil, 35, was found unconscious at his Sector 4 residence in Panchkula and declared brought dead at a hospital. Initially, the police ruled out foul play and handed over the body to the family after a post-mortem. However, the case took a new turn after social media posts and videos surfaced, leading to a complaint by Shamshudeen Chaudhary of Malerkotla, Punjab.
Responding to the development, Mustafa alleged “dirty politics and cheap thinking” behind the FIR, adding, “Those who got the FIR registered based on baseless allegations should also be prepared to face the law.”
Mustafa continued, “It is true that a mountain of sorrow has fallen upon us with the death of our young son, but this certainly does not mean that we cannot counter the vile actions of those with dirty politics and cheap thinking.”
Denying the allegations, Mustafa said his son had been a drug addict for nearly two decades.
“He died after injecting buprenorphine in overdose as per the initial police probe. For 18 years since 2007, we were getting him treated for addiction including at PGIMER Chandigarh, but he would relapse. He had even set our house on fire once,” The Indian Express quoted the ex-DGP as saying.
Mustafa further said, “He was into drugs since he was studying in Class 10 at Welham Boys School in Dehradun and was expelled from multiple schools in Chandigarh. Since 2007, we had been getting him treated for addiction, but he would relapse. Due to psychosis, he had started imagining things. He harassed his wife and mother for money for drugs and had even set our house on fire once. We had filed police complaints against him multiple times at Panchkula but would retract considering he was our blood.”
Also Read | Ex Punjab DGP's son, found dead last week, had alleged father-wife affair
The former DGP, who retired in 2021, said his family had long been struggling to manage Aqil’s addiction. “We tried to keep things confined in the four walls of the house but for how long? Due to his actions, we got a house on rent for his family where his wife lives with their two children. My grandson (Aqil’s son) went into depression seeing how his mother was tortured by my son. Those raising a finger at my daughter-in-law have no idea what all she has been through,” Mustafa said, adding, “My son’s de-addiction treatment is a matter of record and we are ready for a probe.”
He also claimed, “My son had also attacked my security team and gunmen and they had left the work. Once he had also attacked cops in Chandigarh. My son was addicted to psychotropic drugs and later he had also shifted to soft drugs. Some time ago, some peddlers gave him ICE drug and he relapsed again. He would not even remember the date or time of when he would record a particular video and would later retract his words after some hours. He would also torture his mother asking for money for drugs and had set house on fire.”
Twist in the case
The twist came when Shamshudeen Chaudhary, a resident of Malerkotla and a family acquaintance, held a press conference citing Aqil’s August social media posts. The posts contained explosive allegations against his family members, including claims that his father and wife were having an affair, and stated that he feared for his life.
“I have discovered my wife's affair with my dad. I am in a lot of stress and mental trauma… I feel every day that they will frame me in a false case,” Aqil had said in one of the videos reportedly recorded weeks before his death.
He further alleged that his mother, Razia Sultana, and sister were “part of the conspiracy” against him, saying, “Their plan is to have me falsely imprisoned or to have me killed.”
Following his complaint and the contents of the social media posts, the FIR was registered at the MDC police station against the former DGP (human rights), his wife, their daughter, and daughter-in-law in connection with Aqil’s death.
Chaudhary was earlier associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal and switched loyalty to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Malerkotla MLA Mohammad Jamil Ur Rahman. An AAP leader said Chaudhary had stopped taking calls from people and was asked not to continue working with the party about a year and a half ago. Chaudhary, however, said he stayed near Mustafa’s house in Malerkotla and had met Aqil on a few occasions.
Labelled him as ‘mentally unstable’
In a post, Aqil claimed that his family labelled him as mentally unstable and sent him to a rehabilitation centre against his will. “This confinement was illegal because I was not intoxicated… They threaten me that if I take any step against them, they will get me framed in a rape or a murder case,” he said in the video, the report added.
Aqil retracted earlier statements
Aqil, who leaves behind his wife and two young children, had in one of his later videos appeared to retract his earlier statements, attributing them to mental illness. Yet, even that video ended abruptly with him saying, “Will they get me killed? They are all scoundrels.”
Panchkula deputy commissioner of Police Srishti Gupta confirmed the developments, saying, “A complaint was received which said the family members played a role in his death. The social media posts, videos, and photographs raised suspicion, based on which the FIR was filed.”
She added that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an ACP-rank officer has been constituted to ensure “a thorough, impartial, and evidence-based probe".
“The SIT will investigate with an open mind and without prejudice, ensuring no guilty person is spared and no innocent person suffers,” Gupta said.
About Mohammad Mustafa
Mohammad Mustafa, a 2021-retired Punjab DGP, later joined the Congress, while his wife Razia Sultana is a three-time MLA from Malerkotla and served as a cabinet minister between 2017 and 2022.
