Ludhiana: Kin allege custodial torture of 17-year-old, police refute claims
However, the Division Number 8 police have registered a first-information report (FIR) against the teenager on charges of bike theft
The family of a 17-year-old boy accused personnel from the Division Number 8 police station of thrashing their son in custody. The family, who got the boy’s medical examination done on Sunday evening at the civil hospital, filed a complaint on Monday with the National Human Rights Commission and the E-Baal Nidan portal.
However, the Division Number 8 police have registered a first-information report (FIR) against the teenager on charges of bike theft.
The boy’s father, a driver from Rishi Nagar, said that on Friday evening, his son had gone out with a friend on a bike and hours later, his friend returned and informed them that the police had apprehended his son.
Division Number 8 station-house officer (SHO) inspector Balwinder Kaur, however, denied the allegations and said police had detained the boy near Rakh Bagh while he was riding a bike with a “suspicious” registration plate. She said the police suspected the bike was stolen and took the boy to the station. The boy was released to his parents with the understanding that he would return for further investigation.
The complainant said that when they reached the Division Number 8 police station, they found the 17-year-old crying with injury marks on his body. The minor told his father that while he and his friend were shooting reels for social media in Rakh Bagh, a man in a civil dress approached them. The man started frisking his son and took out ₹400 and a key from his pocket, he alleged.
{{/usCountry}}The complainant said that when they reached the Division Number 8 police station, they found the 17-year-old crying with injury marks on his body. The minor told his father that while he and his friend were shooting reels for social media in Rakh Bagh, a man in a civil dress approached them. The man started frisking his son and took out ₹400 and a key from his pocket, he alleged.
{{/usCountry}}He added that when the minor pushed the man away, the latter identified himself as a policeman and called for backup. While the minor’s friend escaped, the police took his son to the station, the complainant said.
The father alleged that the police thrashed his son in custody. He added that on Saturday morning, police called and asked them to take their son home and threatened them not to go to a hospital.
“We were scared and did not seek medical treatment immediately. On Saturday, after discussing this with a friend, we decided to have a medical examination done. We went to the civil hospital on Sunday,” the complainant added.
“On Monday, the regional transport authority (RTA) confirmed that the bike was stolen and the registration plate was fake. The bike owner reported the theft from Bindraban Road on July 10. Based on these statements, a case was registered against the boy under sections 303 (2) (theft) and 317 (2) (receiving stolen property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” added inspector Kaur.
Refuting the torture allegations, she said, “The boy was handed over to his parents on Friday. If he was tortured, the family should have gotten his medical examination done immediately. Doing it on Sunday evening seems like an attempt to pressure the police into not acting against him. We do not have information on whether the boy is a juvenile.”
