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‘Custodial death’ sparks protest
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Rajouri, September 13
An alleged "custodial" death of a 65-year-old physically challenged man, Noor Hussain, of Chowdhry Naad village has rocked Rajouri with people taking to streets with his body.

The police while suspending an Assistant Sub-Inspector and two constables pending a magisterial probe, has denied the man died in their custody or he was beaten.

The police admits Noor, who already could not walk properly due to problem in legs was picked up but his condition deteriorated in the vehicle minutes later. The cops claim they "handed him alive" to the family members. Doctors at the local hospital said the man brought by cops to the hospital was sent home with them. The cops said the man had consumed poisonous substance.

The body was found near his house in the wee hours today.Following the “custodial death” of Noor, villagers lodged rotests against the police. They brought the dead body of the deceased to Sher-e-Kashmir Bridge here, and placed it on the road thereby blocking the vehicular traffic for more than an hour.

District Magistrate Jaipal Singh has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. SSP Rajouri and SSP Shafqat Wattali has ordered suspension of an Assistant Sub -Inspector (ASI) and two constables.

Resident Anita Devi said at about 7 pm last evening, a police party reached their village, picked up Noor Hussain kicked him and handcuffed him before taking him to some undisclosed location.

She added that after picking up the deceased, another police party threw his dead body on the road near his house at 3 am in the wee hours of the morning after which villagers shifted him to his home.

Family members and kin sit beside the body of Noor Hussain. Photo by writer

A senior police officer claimed that the deceased Noor was wanted by the police in connection with a family feud between two groups and a local court had issued non-bailable warrants against him.

He said acting on the directions of the court, a police party went to the house of Noor to arrest him. the police further said that after Noor Hussain was arrested he became ill and he was admitted by police to the District Hospital, Rajouri, at about 8.30 pm. They added that after the condition of the deceased improved, they handed him back "alive" to his family members and there was no question of the deceased dying in police custody.

Contradicting the assertions of the police, relatives as well as other villagers said that the police threw Noor’s body on the road . They added that after they found the body, he was shifted to District Hospital Rajouri where doctors did his post mortem.

One of the senior doctors at the District Hospital said the police brought the deceased to the hospital saying that he had consumed some poisonous substance. He added that following which the doctors washed the stomach of the deceased and the patient was let off from the hospital.

He claimed that a police team brought the body to the hospital for conducting post -mortem examination of the deceased this morning . He further said that doctors conducted the post-mortem examination of the deceased and the hospital authorities sent his viscera to Forensic science Laboratory (FSL) in Jammu for ascertaining the cause of the death of the deceased. “We will know the cause of the death only after we get the report form FSL”, he added.

Meanwhile relatives of the deceased alleged that a police team led by a DSP visited the house of the deceased in the morning and offered the family Rs 15,000 and a job of Special Police Officer (SPO) to the son of the victim.