JALANDHAR: A teenaged Tamilians boy died due to alleged torture in police custody while the fate of two other migrants remained unknown three weeks after the boys were handed over to the Goraya police by residents of Mehla village on suspicion of their having committed a theft. Inquiries revealed that the three boys, including the deceased, identified as Pachiappa, were handed over to the police on August 7 on the charge that they had committed a theft in the farmhouse of one Jamail Singh.

When Pachiappa, resident of Santoshi Nagar in Jalandhar City, did not return home, his father, Govindan started making inquiries as to his whereabouts.

A week later, Govindan along with a city lawyer, visited Goraya police station in search of his son but they failed to locate him.

However, on his second visit to the police station, Govindan was told that the boys were in the police lock-up.

Govindan managed to see the boys who were ina bad shape. The police officials promised to hand over Pachiappa after his condition improved. Before he left, Govindan gave Rs 200 to the policemen for food and treatment of his son.

Residents of the area held a demonstration outside Goraya police station on August 23 demanding release of the boys as no proof of their having committed theft was found. They dispersed after Phillaur deputy superintendent of police (DSP) assured to look into the matter.

Next day, a dharna was staged again by the Jalandhar district Congress-I committee general secretary Virendra Sharma along with people from his municipal corporation ward area where Pachiappa lived, Both the DSP and Jalandhar SP (detective) met and assured the agitators to do justice in the matter after which they dispersed.

Earlier, the lawyer handling the case visited Goraya police station three times in 10 days and on the appointed day on August 23, rang up the police station to ascertain if he along with the boys father should visit the police station to take the boy home. He was told that the SHO was away to Chandigarh.

The lawyer later learned that a policemen had come to the city on August 21 to tell him that Pachiappa had died and his body had been thrown into the nearby Satluj river.

The constable attached with the Goraya police station who spilled the beans about the death of Pachiappa and disposal of his body was allegedly slapped by the SHO following an altercation between them. The constable has since been transferred to police lines at Jalandhar on the charge of being under the influence of liquor on duty. Earlier, two jawans of Punjab

Home Guards attached with the police station, got themselves transferred alleging immoral activities by the SHO, who was recently transferred from Faridkot district.

Meanwhile, the Congress (I) functionaries, who made the issue public, were being persuaded by the police to settle the case by paying compensation of Rs 50,000 to the family of the deceased. The fate of two other boys,

who were witness to the alleged torture of Pachiappa and were themselves beaten up during interrogation, was still not known.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 11, 1992