The Tribune, September 1, 1999
CBI probe into police torture
By Our Legal Correspondent
CHANDIGARH, Aug 31 — Mr Justice THB Chalapathi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into the alleged torture by the Haryana Police of a Samata Party activist of Tohana, Dr S.S. Bhargava.
The petitioner, Dr Bhargava had earlier field a public interest litigation against Mr Vinod Mariya and Mr Charan Dass Shorewala, two former ministers, in the High Court after they defected to the then ruling party on January 15, 1997. On this petition they had been recently disqualified as members of the assembly by the High Court.
After being threatened repeatedly by Mr Mariya, Dr Bhargava alleged, he was picked up by the Tohana police on August 9,1997, by a police party comprising SHO Hans Raj, ASI, Harish Sharma and Gulshan Kumar. They took him to the police station. ASI Harish Kumar allegedly tied his hands after he refused to sign certain papers leading to the withdrawal of his PIL from the High Court. One Ashok Kumar is alleged to have committed a despicable act.
Being a heart patient, the petitioner on being tortured suffered another heart attack. He was shifted to the Civil Hospital, Tohana. He was kept chained to the hospital bed by the police, it was alleged.
The police then took him to Central Jail, Hisar, where doctors attending on him advised the police to take him to a specialist. When the petitioner was in the Civil Hospital, he sent a telegram to the Chief Justice of this court, which was treated as criminal petition, on which the inquiry has now been ordered.
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