MP custodial death: NHRC seeks action against guilty cops

The National Human Rights Commission has indicted Madhya Pradesh Police in a case of custodial death of a man due to torture, and asked the state government to initiate criminal proceedings against the guilty.
According to an NHRC statement released today, the Commission has also issued notice to the Madhya Pradesh Government, through its Chief Secretary, to show cause, within eight weeks, why a sum of Rs 5 lakh will be not granted as interim relief to the next of kin of Netram Khangar, who was tortured to death by police in Datia district in March 2013.
The Commission took cognizance of the case on the basis of an intimation received from the District Magistrate, Datia that on March 30, 2013, Netram Khangar was found hanging from a tree in the field of Palothar village.

Subsequently, a complaint was also received alleging that Netram was killed in police custody.
NHRC member Justice D Murugesan, while considering various reports, has observed that all was not well with police and the doctors in the case of murder.
"After brutal torture, Netram was hanged from the tree by the police to make it appear a case of suicide. The doctors failed in their duty in properly identifying all the injuries and submitted a false report," the statement reads.

The Commission has asked the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh to conduct an independent inquiry to find out the police officials involved in his torture and initiate criminal and departmental proceedings against them and departmental proceedings against the three doctors who did not disclose 19 injuries on Netram's body in the first post-mortem.

These injuries came to light only in the subsequent post-mortem.
The magisterial inquiry had concluded that a special police team was on lookout for clues regarding an abduction. On the March 19, 2013 the team apprehended Netram, along with his two brothers -- Lal Singh and Brij Lal.
"They were tortured in police custody. Netram reached a stage where his death was imminent and then he was hung from a tree to present it as a case of suicide," the statement said.