Magisterial probe begins into an alleged custodial death in Haryana's Jind district

Jind (Haryana) [India], February 5 : A junior magistrate first class (JMIC) began a probe into the alleged custodial death of a farmer in Haryana's Jind district on Monday.
The kin of the deceased, who allegedly died due to police torture in custody, staged a day-long dharna at a civil hospital seeking action against police personnel, but later lifted it after higher officials assured them of a fair action. The parents claimed it was a custodial death due to police torture and they sought action against the police.
Notably, the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) wing allegedly arrested two members of a buffalo-stealing gang from Safidon town in Jind district on February 1. The accused were identified as Paramjeet alias Pummy, a native of Malikpur village in Safidon town of this district, and Neetu, hailing from Kamhera village in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Police officials claimed that during the investigation, Paramjeet told the police that one of his relatives, named Angrej Singh, asked him to join the buffalo-stealing gang if he wanted to earn money. Angrej Singh asked him to share details of those who keep buffaloes and are vulnerable to theft. "Thereafter, he gave a tip-off to the gang members that only a caretaker stays with a buffalo at a site on Bohli-Dharamgarh road near Safidon town. Following which, they made a plan to steal buffaloes from the spot but people caught them," the police said.
"We met with the superintendent of police (SP) Sumit Kumar and asked to see the deceased's body. When we saw the body, we observed several marks on his body, which suggested that he was beaten badly by the CIA team during custody. Therefore, a thorough investigation must be done into this matter," Amritpal Singh, the sarpanch of Malikpur village, said.
Villagers said that it was a matter of investigation how the police claimed his involvement in theft, as he was a farmer who owned seven acres of land in the village. The entire incident must be probed fairly, they said.
SP Sumit Kumar told them that during the probe, the deceased admitted his crime, following which he was sent to jail. "On Sunday, he was admitted to a civil hospital, where he died during treatment. A magistrate will conduct an inquiry into this matter now. The body has been sent for an autopsy and the cause of death will be known after the process. Action will be taken according to the reports," he added.