CBI arrests HP IGP, 7 cops for custodial death of rape accused

The CBI today arrested Inspector General of Himachal Pradesh Police Zahur Haidar Zaidi and seven other policemen in connection with the custodial death of an accused in a rape case.
A CBI spokesman said the IGP, the then Theog Deputy Superintendent of Police, the then Staton House Officer of Kotkhai, one Assistant Sub-Inspector, 3 head constables and one constable were arrested in the custodial death of Suraj Singh, a 29-year-old labourer from Nepal.
Singh, who was a suspect in the rape-and-murder of a minor school girl in Kotkhai area of Shimla in early July, was among six people arrested by the local police.

He was allegedly killed by a co-accused at the Kotkhai police station on the intervening night of July 17 and July 18, triggering a massive public outrage.
"The arrested accused were produced in the competent court in Shimla today and were remanded to police custody till September 4," the spokesman said.
The arrested are 1994-batch IPS officer Zaidi, who headed the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Theog DSP Manoj Joshi, SHO Rajender Singh, ASI Deep Chand Sharma, head constables Suraj Singh, Mohan Lal and Rafiq Ali, and constable Ranjit Singh.

The CBI was handed over the probe into the case by the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

The agency has registered two separate FIRs on the rape- and-murder of the minor girl and the custodial death of the suspect.
The Class X student had gone missing on July 4 and her naked body was recovered from Haliala forests in Kotkhai on July 6.
"The CBI has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a Superintendent of Police and an Additional SP and a Deputy SP, and taken over the investigation of both the cases," the CBI had said earlier.