The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Tuesday ordered a fresh investigation into the death of a 17-year-old boy last year after allegedly being assaulted by a policeman.
The incident occurred on March 24, 2018, when Imran Sheikh was riding a motorcycle and tried to evade a routine police check at Bandra Reclamation. The Jai Ho Foundation, a non-profit organisation working in the field of human rights, had alleged that one of the policemen threw a lathi at Sheikh, leading to his death, and the case was subsequently presented before the SHRC.
IG rank officer
On Tuesday, the SHRC expressed dissatisfaction with the inquiry into the incident conducted by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IX) Paramjit Singh Dahiya. It ordered that a new investigation be conducted into the matter, saying that it should now be carried out by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police.
The Bandra police had at the time alleged that Sheikh was riding the bike without a helmet and was not in possession of a valid licence, and had booked him for rash and negligent driving under the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act.
Eyewitness statement
The investigation report submitted by the police to the SHRC disregards the statement of Sajid Sayyed, who was riding pillion behind Imran. It instead refers to statements from two witnesses unconnected to the case, who have said there was no policeman present when Imran lost control of his bike and fell. Mr. Sayyed had fractured his left hand and left leg in the incident.
Fear of police
Advocate Adil Khatri, who is representing Afroz Malik, head of the Jai Ho Foundation, said, “The police have intentionally scared off the family of the deceased. They are poor people living in the slums of Dharavi and are unaware of the law. They have urged us many times to drop the case because they fear the police. The police haven’t provided the CCTV footage of the location and have not considered the statement of the primary eye-witness, Mr. Sayyed, in their report,” Mr. Khatri said.
The SHRC has sought an update on the matter by February 11 next year.
Mr. Dahiya refused to comment on the matter.
