E-Paper
Karnataka RTI activist’s death in custody: Sub-inspector, 2 constables suspended
The Karnataka government has also handed over the case to the CID following a complaint by the victim’s family who accused the police of murdering him.
The Karnataka government has suspended a sub-inspector of police and two constables in Davanagagere district in connection with the death of a right to information activist (RTI), who allegedly jumped off a police jeep to escape from custody on Sunday, officials said on Tuesday.
The state government has also handed over the case to the CID following a complaint by the victim’s family who accused the police of murdering him.
“Following the orders of the state government, the case was registered against the sub inspector (SI), and it has been handed over to the CID. We will give all assistance to the CID,” Davanagere superintendent of police (SP) Arun told HT.
The suspended SI, Krishnappa, and constables Devaraju and Irshad had been attached to the Gandhi Nagara police station.
The deceased, H R Harish, a right to information (RTI) activist, was accused of illegally registering three house sites worth ₹2 crore. A first information report (FIR) was registered at Gandhi Nagara police station against him and an unknown woman who posed as Jayashri, advocate Lingaraju, Gandhi Nagara sub-registrar and staff. It is alleged that Harish created fake Aadhaar card and managed to register three house sites belonging to Jayashri on May 20.
Hearing about the fake registration, plot owner Jayashri filed a complaint against Harish on May 23. Police booked him under IPC sections 506 (threatening with life), 149 (unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object), 419 (cheat by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 465 (committing forgery),468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged document as genuine).
According to police, when they called Harish for an enquiry, he tried to escape. Acting on a tip off on the night of May 27, SI Krishnappa and staff raided the house of Harish’s wife and picked him up. While bringing him to the police station, he asked to stop the jeep near Golanahunase flyover and jumped to escape from police. After he was seriously injured, Harish was shifted to a private hospital in Davanagere where he succumbed to injuries at 4.30pm on Sunday.
His wife and family members staged a protest in front of the hospital on Sunday accusing police of murdering him. A case was registered against SI Krishnappa and the two constables at Davanagere rural police station under IPC Section 302 (Punishment for murder).
