A Varanasi court on Monday sentenced three individuals in connection with a custodial death that occurred 29 years ago, delivering justice after a prolonged legal battle. The convicts include the former in-charge of Sundarpur police outpost, the investigating officer, and the doctor who conducted the postmortem examination. Senior prosecution officer Ganga Sharan of the CB-CID confirmed the verdict.
Sentences and fines
Additional District and Sessions Judge Amit Kumar Tiwari sentenced Dr. K.K. Jain, who performed the autopsy, to five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 40,000. Retired sub-inspector Narendra Pratap Singh received a 10-year jail term and a penalty of Rs 31,000. Investigating officer Radheyshyam Singh was sentenced to six months in prison and fined Rs 1,000. The court directed that 50 percent of the fine amount collected from the convicts be compensated to the family of the deceased. Dr. Jain and Narendra are now 70 years old, while Radheyshyam Singh is 85.
Background of the case
The incident dates back to February 5, 1997, when Rajendra Prasad Singh, a 42-year-old resident of Bakhariya village under Jansa police station, was traveling by city bus from Kakarmatta to Sundarpura to collect medicine for his son. During the journey, he reportedly argued with a co-passenger over a seat. According to the prosecution, the then in-charge of Sundarpur police outpost detained Rajendra, accusing him of stealing Rs 100 from fellow passenger Dayaram's pocket. That same evening, Rajendra allegedly died in police custody at the outpost barracks due to torture.
Alleged cover-up
After Rajendra's death, the outpost in-charge allegedly registered a false theft case against him at Lanka police station. The investigation was assigned to Radheyshyam Singh, who concluded in his report that Rajendra had died by suicide. Police claimed that Rajendra hanged himself from a ceiling fan. Dr. Jain conducted the postmortem at SSPG Divisional Hospital, Kabirchaura, and stated that death was due to asphyxiation from hanging. However, his report did not mention the condition of body parts expected in a hanging case, nor did it record measurements of the neck marks. Without informing the family, police cremated the body the same day at Harishchandra Ghat.
Family seeks justice
Dissatisfied with the police reports and inaction by senior officials, Rajendra's widow Shashima Devi filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on February 11, 1997. The NHRC took cognizance and transferred the investigation to the CB-CID. During their probe, CB-CID officers found no ceiling fan in the barrack where the alleged suicide occurred.
Legal proceedings
CB-CID inspector Shrikant Pandey submitted a petition to Lanka police station on April 15, 1998, leading to a case registered on April 22 against eight individuals, including then Lanka police station in-charge Hasan Abbas. After investigation, chargesheets were filed against 11 people on October 14, 2004, and another in 2011. The trial began on December 7, 2005, with 12 witnesses examined, including the deceased's wife.
Of the 11 accused, two were discharged at the charge-framing stage: additional city magistrate Awadh Mani Tripathi and Kavindra Narayan Singh. Four others—inspector Hasan Abbas, constables Shubh Narayan Singh, Mangru Pandey, and Chandrama Chaudhary—died during the proceedings. The trial continued against Dr. Jain, Radheyshyam, Narendra, and constables Shrinivas Shukla and Anirudh Yadav, who were later acquitted due to lack of evidence.
