Wadala TT custodial death case: No assault, says cop

Amid the allegations of custodial death, a senior police officer from Wadala TT police station narrated the alleged sequence of events for HT. “At 11.25pm on October

Amid the allegations of custodial death, a senior police officer from Wadala TT police station narrated the alleged sequence of events for HT. “At 11.25pm on October 27, passers-by complained about the scuffle between a couple and Singh, his cousin Shivam Singh and friend Ankit Mishra. A patrolling van reached the spot and brought all of them to the police station at 11:35pm. The couple alleged that Singh and his friend assaulted and harassed them,” he said.

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“Police sub-inspector Sachin Kadam was on duty. But after reaching the police station, the woman refused to file a case, but her boyfriend insisted on registering a complaint. Meanwhile, Kadam received a call came from KEM hospital at 11.45pm about a person involved in a stabbing incident being brought to the hospital. Kadam along with a constable (suspended in the custodial death) left to investigate the incident,” said the officer.

Thereafter, assistant police inspector Salim Khan took over the duty officer’s charge. Singh was sweating profusely inside the lock-up and was asking for water. Singh’s parents, who had also come to the police station, alleged that he was complaining of chest pain and constantly asking for water, but the police did not provide it to him. The officer refuted the allegation and said that Singh was given water once, but when he asked a second time, he was refused and the family, too, wasn’t allowed to give him water.

Around 1:40am, the police received a call from Sion hospital that a person was injured in an accident, so Khan, along with a constable (who is also suspended in custodial death), left for Sion hospital for inquiry, said the officer. “Till the time, Singh and his cousin and friend were made to sit at the police station and the woman’s boyfriend was still insisting on filing a complaint against them,” said the officer.

Around 2:40am, Singh collapsed. “As there was no vehicle in the police station, the parents requested an Ola driver who had come to the police station for some work to take Singh to Sion hospital. Singh was declared dead before admission around 3am,” said the officer. “The post-mortem report will clear the cause of death, but Singh was not assaulted by the police in lock-up or outside,” said the officer.