Jammu Tawi, February 01 (Gurshan):
A youth held by police on the alleged charges of theft died in custody at Gandhinagar police station in Jammu. The news of death of a youth under suspicious circumstances came to surface only when the police officials took the body of the deceased to Government Medical College Mortuary for the post-mortem.
The youth was arrested from Guru Nanak Nagar area on charges of theft. The deceased youth has been identified as Sahil Saini (22), son of Ramesh Kumar, resident of Kasba Nagri, Tehsil Nagri of district Kathua. An FIR 20 was lodged in Gandhinagar police station under section 457, 380.
The family members of the deceased youth have accused the police of brutal torturing of their son and demanded a stringent action against the entire police personnel involved in the police station.
An executive magisterial enquiry has been ordered to probe the death of the youth in police custody. Sahil's post-mortem was conducted under the supervision of four doctors at the Medical College Hospital. The district administration has instructed the magistrate to get the matter investigated in the custodial death.
Sahil Saini was arrested on suspicion immediately after a complaint of theft at a mobile shop in Nanak Nagar a few days ago.
According to police, the stolen goods from the mobile shop were recovered from Sahil and he was taken to Gandhi Nagar police station for investigation. During the interrogation, police said, many thefts that took place in Jammu were also revealed.
Late today night, his health suddenly deteriorated and the police personnel of Gandhinagar police station hurriedly took Sahil to GMC Hospital, Jammu for treatment where the doctors declared him brought-dead.
It is learned that his family reached Jammu from Kathua this morning. The family members accused the police and said that the police told them that Sahil had committed suicide by hanging himself inside the police station. The family members said that Sahil was caught in a theft case. But he could not commit suicide. His allegation was that Sahil died due to police beating with cruelty in this harsh winter and due to third degree torture because Sahil had black marks on his feet and one arm was broken.
On the other hand, a senior police officer said that Gandhinagar is a ‘modern police station' and CCTV cameras are installed in ‘every corner' of the police station. He said that the exact cause of Sahil's death will be known from CCTV camera footage and post mortem report. However, the parents demanded a judicial probe in the case expressing their confidence in any investigation by an Executive Magistrate.
