Latest news with #Chohan
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
CBI begins probe into custodial torture of J&K constable
S RINAGAR: A CBI team reached Srinagar on Monday and began its investigation into the alleged custodial torture of J&K Police constable Khursheed Ahmad Chohan in Kupwara in 2023. Officials said, following Supreme Court directive, CBI registered a case on July 26 against six J&K Police personnel, including DSP Aijaz Ahmad Naiko and SI Riyaz Ahmad, posted at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) in Kupwara in Feb 2023. The FIR against them includes charges of criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder, voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, and wrongful confinement for more than three days. After Chohan filed a petition, the Supreme Court, on July 21, ordered CBI to register a case about illegal detention and custodial torture at JIC from Feb 20 to Feb 26, 2023. Chohan had earlier approached J&K High Court seeking registration of FIR, but his plea was dismissed, prompting him to move apex court. The CBI's FIR includes translation of a complaint filed by Chohan's wife, Rubeena Akhter, on March 1, 2023. She had filed the complaint in Urdu, which CBI translated in English and made it part of the FIR. In her complaint, she stated her husband was illegally detained and subjected to brutal torture. She alleged Chohan was beaten with iron rods and wooden sticks, given electric shocks and left in a near-death condition. She alleged his private part was severed, iron rods inserted into his body, red chili powder forced into his rectum, and repeatedly electrocuted. In its order, SC directed CBI to arrest those responsible "forthwith and not later than a period of one month.' The court has given the agency a 90-day deadline to complete the investigation.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Hans India
CBI files attempt to murder case against J&K DSP, 5 others for ‘torturing' colleague
New Delhi: As part of a probe into 'custodial torture' of a Jammu and Kashmir Police constable, the CBI registered an attempt to murder and wrongful confinement case against his own colleagues, including Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, and five others, an official said on Monday. Khurshid Ahmed Chohan, posted at District Police Headquarters, Baramulla, was allegedly subjected to custodial violence and illegal detention from February 20, 2023, to February 26, 2023. The CBI registered a case of attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing hurt, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon or means and wrongful confinement for three or more days against the six police personnel on July 26. On July 21, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta had directed the CBI to register an FIR against the culprits. The court also awarded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Chohan. The apex court also directed the CBI to conduct an inquiry into the systemic issues at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), Kupwara, where Chohan was allegedly tortured for six days. Those named by the CBI in its July 26 FIR include DSP Aijaz Ahmad Naiko, Riyaz Ahmad, Jahangir Ahmad, Imtiyaz Ahmad, Mohammed Younis and Shakir Ahmad. Chohan had alleged that he was tortured after being summoned to the SSP office in Kupwara to face an inquiry related to a narcotics matter. The torture case reached the court in connection with a complaint by Chohan's wife who sought a probe against her husband's tormentors and cancellation of an attempt to commit suicide case registered against him. During preliminary investigation into allegations of torture, the CBI relied upon Chohan's medical report prepared after he was shifted to hospital after the alleged detention. 'The medical records of SKIMS Hospital, Soura-Srinagar, pertaining to the victim Khurshid Ahmed Chohan mentions about the nature of the injuries which inter alia include, complete mutilation of genitalia with both testicles removed, laceration on the scrotum, tenderness on palms and feet, bruises on buttocks extending to thighs, multiple vegetative particles in the rectum, and fractures throughout the body,' said the CBI FIR. The federal agency said in the FIR that the facts, prima facie, constitute cognizable offences punishable under section 120-B read with 307, 323, 325, 326, 343 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) by Aijaz Ahmad Naiko, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, Riyaz Ahmad, SI, Jahangir Ahmad, Imtiyaz Ahmad, Mohammed Younis and Shakir Ahmad. 'Therefore, a Regular Case (RC) is registered at CBI, New Delhi on and entrusted to Special Investigation Team (SIT) for investigation,' said the FIR.
The Wire
22-07-2025
- The Wire
'Systematic Cover-Up': Supreme Court Order on J&K Police's Custodial Torture Bares Extent of Cruelty
Srinagar: A landmark judgement by the Supreme Court on July 21 marked the end of nearly 30-month long legal battle for the wife of a Jammu and Kashmir police constable who was allegedly tortured in custody at an interrogation centre in Kupwara in the winter of 2023. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta ordered a 90-day probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the incident while directing the CBI to arrest the accused police officials within a month. The court said that the probe by Kupwara district police into the torture allegations under its jurisdiction 'reveals a disturbing pattern of systematic cover-up' and 'abuse of authority'. The bench ordered the J&K administration to pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation to the victim to be recovered from the salaries of accused officials. 'The unprecedented gravity of this case involving brutal and inhuman custodial torture, characterised by the complete mutilation of the appellant's genitalia, represents one of the most barbaric instances of police atrocity which the state is trying to defend and cover up with all pervasive power,' the SC said on Monday. It added: "This is not merely a case of investigative error or overreach; it is a calculated effort to fabricate charges, distort the narrative, and shield the real perpetrators of crime of custodial torture. The use of State machinery to invert the roles of victim and offender represents a grave subversion of the criminal process and compels the intervention of this court to prevent the miscarriage of justice'. 'Suicide' The case dates back to February 20, 2023 when Khursheed Ahmad Chohan, who was posted as a constable in Baramulla district police lines, reported at the office of the senior superintendent of police (Kupwara) in connection with a narcotics case after being summoned by a deputy superintendent of police. Chohan's counsel told the apex court that he was held at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) in Kupwara and allegedly tortured for six days due to which he slipped into a coma and the Kupwara police, instead of acting against the alleged perpetrators, booked him under section 309 (abetment to suicide) of Indian Penal Code on February 26, 2023. A First Information Report (FIR) filed on the same day by the Kupwara police stated that Chohan had suffered a self-inflicted wound when he 'tried to cut his vein with a blade'. Despite repeated pleas, authorities refused to share Chohan's medical examination report with his family, prompting a Right to Information Act (RTI) query by Rubina Akhtar, his wife. This RTI changed the course of the legal battle. Medical report changes case Chohan's medical report, obtained through the RTI, from Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) in Srinagar where he was treated, revealed significant details about the nature of his injuries. According to the report, Chohan had suffered 'laceration on the scrotum with both testicles surgically removed, bruises on the buttocks extending to the thighs, tenderness on the palms and soles indicative of blunt trauma, the presence of vegetative particles in the rectum and multiple fractures'. Punching holes in the police FIR, the apex court observed that it was 'foolhardy to suggest that a rational person would subject himself to complete genital mutilation and cause injuries at inaccessible body parts so as to avoid questioning in a drug case'. 'The medical evidence conclusively establishes that such injuries are impossible to be self-inflicted. The respondent's theory of suicide attempt crumbles under scrutiny when examined against the timeline and the medical evidence,' the SC bench observed. The dismembered genitalia were brought in a plastic bag to SKIMS along with the victim on February 26, 2023 by a sub-inspector of J&K Police which has 'shock(ed) our conscience', the court observed. 'These facts, standing alone and uncontroverted, establish a prima facie case of the most heinous form of custodial torture and the total apathy of the local police officials in taking action against the perpetrators of custodial violence,' the court said, citing various constitution bench and other SC judgements. 'Cavalier dismissal' The bench was told that the Kupwara police refused to act on a written complaint by Akhtar on 1 March, 2023 and a legal notice on 2 March, which had sought registration of FIR against the perpetrators under Sections 307, 330, 331, 326 and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code. 'This cavalier dismissal of serious allegations of custodial torture demonstrates the institutional bias and predetermined mindset to protect the accused police officers,' the court observed. Chohan's family had later approached the J&K high court seeking registration of the FIR, a CBI probe and quashing of the FIR filed against him. However, his petition was turned down by the court. Instead of ordering the police to file an FIR, the court called for a preliminary inquiry into the matter, prompting Chohan to knock on the door of the apex court last year. Chohan's wife also filed the RTI query to obtain her husband's medical reports while authorities repeatedly denied her '(even the) basic medical records … to suppress evidence of the brutal custodial torture,' Chohan's counsel told the court. The apex court observed that the failure of J&K police to file an FIR 'despite clear disclosure of cognizable offences' constituted a direct violation of the fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India. 'The High Court grossly erred in failing to exercise its constitutional obligation of protecting the fundamental rights of a citizen, his dignity and right to life. It failed to consider the gravity of offences committed as well as the influence that could be exerted by accused persons being police officials,' the court observed. 'Stark disparity' In its 58-page judgement, the apex court observed that Chohan's medical examination report has shown that his 'injuries are much graver and more extensive than what is depicted in this manifestly fabricated narrative' by the Kupwara police. 'The stark disparity between the trivial description of 'cutting his vein' in the FIR and the barbaric reality of complete castration and systematic torture exposes the mala fide intent behind the FIR,' the apex court observed. Citing the discharge summary (2 March 2023) of Chohan issued by the SKIMS, the court observed that it 'provides unequivocal medical evidence that the appellant underwent an extensive surgical procedure, including 'exploration and repair of corporal bodies with end-to-end anastomosis of urethra, ligation of spermatic cord, repair of scrotal laceration, and debridement of necrotic tissue' for the treatment of his injuries. Citing the Latin maxim ' nemo judex in causa sua ' (no one should be a judge in his own cause), the apex court said that the high court's order of probe by J&K police into the case 'constitutes a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of natural justice'. 'If the investigation is by an agency which is allegedly privy to the dispute, the credibility of the investigation will be doubted and that will be contrary to the public interest as well as the interest of justice', the SC bench observed. 'Considering the unprecedented gravity of this custodial torture case, the systematic cover-up orchestrated by local police machinery, the institutional bias demonstrated in the handling of the complaint, and the complete failure of local authorities to conduct a fair investigation and the unrelenting stand taken by the respondent State, we are constrained to direct transfer of investigation to the CBI,' the court ruled while ordering quashing of the FIR filed by Kupwara district police against Chohan.
NDTV
21-07-2025
- NDTV
Big Supreme Court Order In 2023 Custodial Torture Case In J&K's Kupwara
New Delhi: In an important ruling against custodial violence this morning, the Supreme Court has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged torture of a police constable back in 2023 at a Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara. The accused officials involved in the alleged custodial violence must be arrested within a month, said a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, drawing up a one-month deadline for the federal agency to complete its probe. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has also been ordered to pay a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Khursheed Ahmad Chohan, who had sought legal remedy against custodial torture, for the violation of his fundamental rights. The court has asked the CBI to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the custodial violence allegedly occurred at the Kupwara JIC during February 23-26, 2023. The latest ruling reinforces the constitutional safeguards against custodial violence that constitutes violations of fundamental rights. It sets aside a high court ruling that had refused to quash charges under Section 309 (suicide attempt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Mr Chohan. The constable had alleged that he was illegally detained for several days at JIC Kupwara in February 2023, during which he faced inhuman treatment that even included mutilation of his private parts. Quashing the FIR against Mr Chohan, Justice Mehta wrote in his judgment that continuing criminal proceedings against him under Section 309 (IPC) would be a travesty of justice. The court also ordered the CBI to look into the "systematic issues" at the JIC Kupwara, highlighting the need to assess the causes that led to the custodial abuse.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Time of India
Manual scavenging: Junagadh officials face action for making man enter sewer
Rajkot: The talati and administrator of the Bhesan village panchayat in Junagadh district have been booked for allegedly making a sweeper enter an underground sewer, in violation of laws banning manual scavenging and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR, registered at Bhesan police station, accuses the village talati J B Solanki and an administrator identified as Chavda. The complaint was filed by Dinesh Chohan, who was employed as a temporary sweeper with the panchayat for seven years. Chohan stated that on July 3, his brother Lalit and nephew Rutik and he were called by the two officials and directed to clean all clogged sewers in the village because of complaints of overflowing sewage. The officials allegedly told them that their salaries would be withheld if the task was not completed, and indicated that entering the sewers might be required. The three men began cleaning the sewers using equipment provided by the panchayat. During the process, they encountered a blockage in one sewer which could not be addressed unless someone physically entered the sewer. Dinesh Chohan entered the sewer, fearing that not doing so would lead to loss of pay or his job. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esse novo alarme com câmera é quase gratuito em Itaocara (consulte o preço) Alarmes Undo This was filmed by Rutik and later shared with community leaders in Gandhinagar. The community leaders urged Chohan to lodge a police complaint. Based on the complaint and video evidence, police registered a case under Sections 125 and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the relevant provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act and the Employment of Manual Scavengers and its Prohibition Act.
