Custodial death: 12 Faridabad cops booked for murder

Sumedha Sharma
Tribune News Service
Gurugram, June 14 

“They separated three of us who were better built and took them and thrashed them. I was lucky to have a leaner physique and was thus saved from cane and was let off after being punched and kicked and made to do sit-ups. Their informer or agent from a nearby village approached our families and made them pay money for our release cops took my chain and even phone with its bill after two days of release,” says Asif, a Punhana resident who was picked up along with Junaid on May 31.

Junaid wasn’t so lucky: the 24-year-old was allegedly beaten to death, sparking of clashes between villagers of Puhana and Nuh Police.

A day after the clash, Haryana Police said they’d booked 12 Faridabad policemen for Junaid’s murder.

Faridabad police picked up Junaid and four of his companions in a cybercrime case on May 31 as they were coming back from a wedding in Rajasthan. They were all taken to Faridabad, but they’d been no FIR.

Junaid’s family claims they were kept in police custody overnight and beaten up.

The five were merely sharing a car ride, Asif said, and, except for one of their companions, Shahid, none of the others had criminal records against them.

The police’s FIR filed in Nuh in the custodial death case names sub-inspectors Rajesh and Surjit, assistant sub-inspector Narendra and Javed, head constables Naresh and Dalbir, and an SHO, Basant. Five other unidentified cops have also been named in FIR.

The FIR was registered only after Junaid’s relatives and neighbours surrounded Bichhor Police Station.  Protesters set a vehicle on fire and blocked several roads demanding exemplary punishment for the suspected policemen.

Eight people were arrested and over 200 booked for attacking policemen, Nuh Superintendent of Police Narender Brijaniya said.

“We have filed a case of murder on a complaint by (Junaid’s) family and have written to Faridabad police to initiate action,” he said.

Faridabad Police meanwhile had this to say on Twitter:  Online fraud gang gets fraud case registered against police.  It’s usual and happens”.