An FIR was registered against 12 police personnel, including a former officer-in-charge of Jewar police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar district, on Tuesday for the alleged illegal detention and torture of a BTech student in 2022.
Those booked have been identified as sub-inspectors Anjani Kumar — former OC of Jewar police station — Rakesh Babu, Aniruddh Yadav, Sharad Yadav, Chandveer Singh, Sunny Kumar, and Neelkant Singh, as well as constables Sohit Kumar, Bhuri Singh, Jai Prakash, Naus Kumar, and Chhiter Singh. This was after the Jewar chief judicial magistrate court in February ordered that an FIR be lodged in the matter.
The FIR was registered under sections 452 (trespassing), 504 (person in possession cannot show legal acquisition), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (concealment of property), 427 (mischief), 395 (court orders fine or sentence), 342 (counterfeiting), 307 (theft), 195 (assaulting public servants), 219 (obstructing any sale of property) and 34 (action taken in self defence) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita at Jewar police station.
Mathura resident Tarun Gautam has alleged in the court that police threatened his family and framed his son, a BTech student, in false cases under the Gangsters Act, and Arms Act. The complainant has also accused the police personnel of subjecting his son to electric shocks in custody and demanding money from him.
“On September 4, 2022, about 10-12 police personnel in plainclothes came in two cars without number plates, entered my house and asked for my son, Somesh. I told them that he is pursuing BTech from Kota and currently staying in Delhi and taking coaching classes,” the FIR stated.
“They beat us up, ransacked the house and took me to Somesh’s Delhi residence. They caught hold of Somesh, beat him up, forced him into an SUV and took us to the Jewar police station. The incident was captured on CCTV cameras,” Gautam alleged.
The FIR added that at Jewar police station, the police gave Somesh electric shock, beat him up and warned him to do as told, else they threatened to kill both of them. Both father and son continued to remain in police lock-up.
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The FIR stated that on September 6, around 9 pm, Jewar police officers “blindfolded Somesh and took him to a secluded place”. “They tied his hands from behind and to show that it was a case of fake encounter, they fired at Somesh’s leg… The police then threatened me saying if I complained… they would kill my only son,” the FIR quoted Gautam as saying.
It added, “They showed the fake recovery of a motorcycle and a pistol from Somesh and booked him under Arms Act and in five cases, all registered at Jewar, including one under Gangster Act. The police demanded Rs 1 lakh, which was given by the complainant’s brother, after which the complainant was let off.”
However, Somesh continued to remain in jail. The FIR stated that Gautam approached senior police officers several times but no action was taken. After Somesh was granted bail by court, he underwent treatment at Safdarjung Hospital for the bullet injury he received in the leg, Gautam alleged.
In the FIR, Gautam also alleged that he tried to file a complaint at the Jewar police station several times and even approached higher authorities last June but to no avail. “He then moved court,” it added.
with PTI inputs
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd