Sir,
A few weeks ago there appeared reports in several newspapers concerning the death of Dr. Manmohan Singh in judicial custody in Tihar jail on July 7. He was the only independent witness to the death of his cell mate, Uttam Singh last year also in Tihar Jail. In the course of investigations made by the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) certain fresh facts have emerged which we bring to your notice.
The First Information Report lodged by the police states that Uttam and Manmohan were driving a Maruti on Baba Kharak Singh Marg on October 10, 1987 in which was discovered two kg of heroin, and were consequently arrested.
Our interview with Manmohan’s wife, Sushma, revealed a different story. Manmohan, who lived with his family in Canada was in Delhi on holiday and was staying with Uttam, a distant cousin. On the 10th evening, Uttam received a phone call from Saab Singha drug carrier to reach Baba Kharak Singh Marg immediately. He left with his wife and found he had walked into a trap set for him by the police in connivance with Saab Singh. He was arrested.
Later, the same evening the police arrived at Uttam’s house and picked up his son, Dalip and Manmohan. The former was let off once Rs 50,000 was extracted from him and an FIR was lodged against Manmohan who refused to pay up.
The witness who is testifying that he saw Uttam and Manmohan being arrested on Baba Kharak Singh Marg is Sandip alias Sanjiv Sinha, a stock witness of the police. The only counter witness, Sukesh Behl who was to testify that he was present when Dalip and Manmohan were arrested from Utam’s house, has withdrawn his support since three men came to his house and threatened him.
Our interview with the SDM, Punjabi Bagh, Vipul Mittra, revealed that enquiries into both details had not gone beyond initiation stage because the reports from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) stating cause of death are still awaited. Of the twelve deaths in Tihar Jail since 1987, not a single enquiry has been completed. In the same cases the files have been stolen and enquiries into the thefts are still on.
The case relating to charges of drug trafficking filed twenty one months ago is virtually abandoned with both the accused dying in Tihar Jait before the court could pronounce any judgment. The personal tragedy is horrifying enough, but even more horrifying is the larger implications, the fashion in which the so called democratic institutions of our country function today.
Harish Dhawan New Delhi
Article extracted from this publication >> September 8, 1989
