SHRC refers murder case to DGP for reinvestigation
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Rajouri, June 3
Acting chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) Habibullah Bhat has referred a murder case allegedly involving a Congress minister to the director general of police for reinvestigation.

“Since the allegations are serious in nature and the accused party is related to local minister Dr Romesh Sharma, therefore, transparency in the investigation should be adhered to,” said a SHRC statement. “The subject matter has been referred to the DGP for reinvestigation after hearing the petitioner and injured persons during the course of investigation,” it added.

Dally Sharma, wife of victim Satpaul Sharma, in her complaint with the SHRC, had reportedly submitted that her husband was murdered by the relatives of Congress minister and Nowshera MLA Dr Romesh Sharma in August 2003.

The petitioner had said their family had a land in Lamberi village in Nowshera and Jagdish Raj, brother-in-law of the minister, of the same village wanting to construct a road to his house used their land without seeking their permission.

She had further said her family members were attacked in June 2003 by the relatives of the minister rendering her son Mukesh Kumar handicapped and her daughter Pammi Sharma injured. Two months after this incident Satpaul was murdered by the minister’s relatives, she had said.

She lodged an FIR at the Nowshera police station and a case under Section 302/34 of the RPC was registered. Besides naming the minister, she named Tek Chand (brother of minister's brother-in-law), son of Punnu Ram, Ramesh Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Devinder Kumar, sons of Tek Chand and Ashwani Kumar (nephew of the minister and presently his public relation officer) son of Jagdish Raj in the FIR.

Dally said the minister using his official position managed to get his name omitted from the FIR.

Police sources said the police had registered a case against some persons including the minister but during the investigation minister’s presence in the area at the time of murder was not established.

“In the postmortem report, it was found that ammonium phosphate was injected into the body of Satpaul. Later the police stopped the investigation for unknown reasons and the case was handed over to the crime branch,” the sources said. “Presently a subordinate court at Nowshera is hearing the case,” the sources added.

In the meantime, Dally Sharma, not satisfied with the investigations conducted by the police and the crime branch, approached the SHRC on September 17, 2003.

“The verdict by the SHRC has vindicated my fight for justice,” said Dally.