LUCKNOW: Third degree methods adopted by the Alambagh Police and their subsequent negligence in tending to the victims wounds have costa young man his right tg.

Aqeel Abbas” right leg am plated at the KGMG on April 20 as the shin bones which had been smashed by brick blows had turned gangrenous.

Aqeel Abbas wanted in connection with the kidnapping of a junior engineer of Chowk was arrested by a special tam comprising Inspector Raja Ram Pal of Alambagh and sub-inspectors DN Singh and LIN Pandey of the Dandaiya bazar and University outposts respectively on March 14 The police team arrested him from flat No 135 Phase Il at Mayur Vihar acting on a tip off by Mushir Alam an old rival of Aqeel Abbas.

The accused was gagged his feet and hands tied and he was dumped in a tuck which was escorted by Policemen in Maruti allegedly provided by Mushir.

The motorcade was chased by the Delhi Police near the Delhi UP border when Aqeel screamed

For help. “It is because of the Delhi Police that I am alive today otherwise they would have orchestrated a fake encounter after crossing the border” said Aqeel who is lying in KGMCs surgical ward No following the amputation

Recalling his traumatic experience at the police station Aqeel Said On March 15 around midday Inspector Raja Ram Pal and sub-inspector DN Singh aided by Constables put my right leg on Piece of rail. They then began hitting it with bricks till I lost consciousness. When I regained my senses I found ice had been strapped to my injured leg”

Aqeel admitted that he was wanted in a number of cases “but I want to know why Mushir Pappu and Shakeel who were present at the time of the incident and were also wanted by the city police in connection with murders and extortion cases were not arrested?”

Aqeel was next dispatched to the district jail from where he was sent to Balram pur Hospital on March 18 as the doctors feared that gangrene may set in The doctors at the hospital referred the case to KGMC but the guards ac companying Aqeel preferred to take him back to the jail

Following two Supreme Court orders the instance on April7 and the second one on April 12 (which was confirmed by the jail authorities) the accused was admitted to the Emergency Ward on April 14

By that time gangrene had se into Aqeel right leg owing to protected blood-clouting and the doctors had no option but to be Pupate his leg on April 20. He was moved to the Surgical Ward NO2.

When a visibly shaken Inspector Raja Ram Pal questioned denied that any third degree measures were used or for that matter any force was used on the accused. According to him Aqeel had jumped off the first floor of the Mayur Vihar residence to evade arrest when the police had raided.

The statement of the Inspector runs contrary to that of a senior all official was maintained that Agee) was handed over with multiple fractures on the shin and with blood-clots besides many pans of his body.

These injuries were clearly in afflicted on the body of Aqeel THEY Were not sustained while jumping off a building” the official said.

This is not the first time that inspector Raja Ram Pal has been accused of the using third degree measure in a detainee  earlier in January this year  Azam Ghoshi who was admitted to the Balram pur hospital with shin fracture on both legs.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 8, 1996