CBI files chargesheet in Kupwara custodial torture case
Srinagar Oct 24: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against a Jammu and Kashmir Police deputy superintendent and seven other officers in connection with the alleged custodial torture of a police constable in Kupwara two years ago, officials said on Friday.
The charge sheet, submitted on Thursday before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Srinagar, names Deputy Superintendent of Police Aijaz Ahmad Naiko and at least seven other personnel for allegedly subjecting Constable Khursheed Ahmad Chohan to six days of torture at the Kupwara Joint Interrogation Centre in February 2023. The alleged abuse reportedly took place on suspicion that Chohan was assisting drug peddlers.
During its investigation, the CBI said it did not find sufficient evidence to substantiate the claims regarding the mutilation of Chohan’s private parts.
According to the agency, Chohan, then posted in Baramulla, was summoned via Signal on February 17, 2023, to report to the Kupwara SSP under the pretext of a narcotics investigation. He was then allegedly handed over to the Joint Interrogation Centre, where the accused officers reportedly tortured him using iron rods and wooden sticks and subjected him to heavy electric shocks.
The case was transferred to the CBI following directions from the Supreme Court after Chohan approached the apex court with a petition describing his ordeal. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court had earlier rejected his plea seeking a CBI probe.
The Supreme Court noted the gravity of the alleged offences and the influence the accused police officials could exert, stating that 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.” The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the high court “failed to consider the gravity of offences committed” by law enforcement personnel.
Chohan had been admitted to SKIMS Hospital on February 26, 2023, at 2:48 pm, where, according to the Supreme Court, a sub-inspector reportedly brought his dismembered genitalia in a plastic bag, an incident the court described as shocking to conscience.
