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Is Delhi Police shielding members of its force in the case of a killing that took place during the violence in northeast Delhi?
Why have Delhi Police failed to identify the police personnel involved in the filming and abuse of five seriously injured men, one of whom, identified as Faizan, is now dead?
Why is Delhi Police's version of the circumstances around Faizan's death differing from details mentioned on Faizan's death certificate issued by Delhi's LNJP hospital?
All serious questions. No answers.
Delhi Police's reputation has taken a beating following their poor response to the violence in northeast Delhi. Many have even described the role of some Delhi Police personnel as ‘blatantly partisan’.
A clear example was a viral video that surfaced on social media on 25 February, which showed five injured men seen lying on a road, surrounded by a few policemen who are heard abusing the injured men, forcing them to sing the national anthem and say Vande Mataram.
Faizan, a resident of Kardampuri, was one of these five injured men, and he succumbed to his injures at Lok Nayak Hospital on 27 February.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Jt CP) Alok Kumar told The Quint that an FIR has been registered in the case of Faizan's death, listing murder charges against 'Unknown People'.
In defence of the policemen seen abusing Faizan and the other injured men in the viral video, Alok Kumar claims they were not included in the FIR because they were not seen beating the men. He says it was the police who took the five injured men to the hospital.
The Quint further asked the Jt CP why the policemen seen in the video are not being charged in the FIR for the delay in taking the five injured to hospital under Section 304A (causing death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act). Wasn't the delay also responsible for Faizan's death?
To this, Jt CP Kumar had no clear answer.
We spoke to police officers, doctors and Faizan’s family to understand the sequence of events leading to his death. We found several discrepancies in the various versions.
Is a smoke screen being created to spoil the case?
Jt CP Alok Kumar said, the injured were taken to the hospital by a policeman from the local police station on 24 February. All were alive when they were admitted in the hospital. Statement of the injured were recorded by the policeman based on which an FIR was registered.
However, Dr Kishore Singh, medical director of Lok Nayak hospital, confirmed to The Quint that Faizan was brought dead by the police on 24 February.
When The Quint spoke to Faizan’s family, they gave us a completely different sequence of events.
Faizan’s mother told The Quint that her son was not taken to the hospital from the road, rather he was taken by the police to Jyoti Nagar police station on 24 February. She went to meet Faizan in police station the same day but she was not allowed to meet him. For two days he was in police custody, she said.
She added that Faizan went through medical tests in the hospital on 26 February and on the early morning of 27 February around 12.10 am.
To support her argument, Faizan’s mother shared his death certificate which clearly shows date of admission in the hospital as 26 February and date of death, 27 February.
When The Quint confronted Dr Kishore Singh of Lok Nayak hospital, asking how was Faizan brought in dead on 24 February when the death certificate shows that he died on 27 February, Dr Singh, instead of answering, asked us to speak to his junior.
Speaking to his junior, Dr Ritu Saxena told us that the dates on the death certificate were correct.
Now, the questions are:
Joint Commissioner Alok Kumar said that the policemen who made the five injured sing national anthem have not yet been identified and a departmental inquiry has been set-up against them.
Legal experts say the policemen should be investigated under the same FIR and departmental inquiry is not enough.
Former IPS officer YP Singh said that the policemen should also be probed under Section 341 of Indian Penal Code for wrongful restraint as they abused and forced the five injured to sing the national anthem.
Here’s another angle from where a video was shot of the five men being allegedly tortured:
The Quint asks:
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