Mumbai: The State Human Right’s Commission came down heavily on the Mumbai police, after a Ghatkopar based alleged robber, was illegally detained by the Ghatkopar police in 2021, handcuffed to a chair, assaulted, later gave him Rs 100 for getting him treated and in the end released him after illegally detaining him for 20 hours.
The Commission was livid after the police also failed to produce the CCTV footage for that day, claiming it have erased from the memory. The commission has not only passed stringent remarks against the police officials for violating the human rights, but have also recommended the State/ Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department to pay a compensation of Rs two lakhs to the complainant within a period of six weeks, failing which an interest of six per cent per annum would be applied against compensation amount.
The Commission presided over by the Division bench of K.K. Tated and Sanjay Kumar was hearing the case filed by Ahmad Khan. As per the case details, Ahmad and a few more of his accomplices, on June 2, 2021, had allegedly tried to rob a passerby, Nitin Dongre, which resulted in a scuffle. Dongre had approached the Ghartkoper Police station, Chirag Nagar and had registered a complaint. Acting on the same, the police had arrested Ahmad and during the investigation, he affirmed that Dongri was robbed by him.
The Complaint filed before the commission further states, “After Ahmad confirmed to his crime, the police had hand cuffed him to a chair and assaulted him. The medical reports shows that he was assaulted by six unknown police officers at the police station and that there were blunt injury to his head, which caused vomiting after trauma, there was a blunt injury to his left eye , an injury on his back and multiple abrasion over his right leg.”
When the accused had sought for the CCTV footage of the police station by filing a RTI, a reply dated February 18,2022 said that the data of CCTV Footage is required to store for 1 year. The commission was moved by this and thus passed stringent orders against the police. The commission stressed on the directions issued against implementations of CCTV camera’s in the police station.
Referring to the observations passed by the Apex court in installations of the CCTV camera’s the commission, while citing a judgment held, “CCTV systems that have to be installed must be equipped with night vision and must necessarily consist of audio as well as video footage. The internet systems that are provided must also be systems which provide clear image resolutions and audio. Most important of all is the storage of CCTV camera footage which can be done in digital video recorders and/or network video recorders. CCTV cameras must then be installed with such recording systems so that the data that is stored thereon shall be preserved for a period of 18 months.“
The commission further have asked the DGP Maharashtra to get a detailed inquiry conducted by a senior officer of not below the rank of DIG, and fix responsibility of officers and take necessary disciplinary action.
