Pauri District Magistrate Chandra Shekhar Bhatt has suspended four revenue employees for negligence due to which a man accused of rape committed suicide in the lock-up.
The DM has also directed a magisterial inquiry into the suicide case in custody and sought the report within a fortnight. Revenue police inspector Satish Chandra Tiwari, sub inspector Puran Singh Dhanai, Birendra Negi and employee Rakesh Singh were suspended by the authorities with the DM appointing the ADM BS Challal as inquiry officer for the magisterial inquiry of the suicide case in custody.
Bhatt said that the action will be taken on the basis of the post-mortem report. It is pertinent to mention here that on Thursday, rape accused Digamber committed suicide by hanging himself in the lock up of Banalsyun—II Patwari Chowki. The revenue police didn’t follow the norms and guidelines while keeping him in lockup. A bench for sleeping with a bag of polythene were left by the revenue police in the lock up.
The accused used the polythene bags to make a noose which he used to commit suicide. The revenue police claim that the accused was arrested by the police while the locals said that they brought the accused personally to the Patwari Chowki and handed him over to revenue police.
They also alleged that Digamber had not committed suicide but was murdered. Sub divisional magistrate Pl Shah said that suicide in custody is a result of official negligence and apart from the departmental action taken against those found guilty a legal action would also be taken on the basis of the post-mortem report.