City Police Commissioner M. Mahender Reddy on Sunday claimed that Bheem Singh, whose death at Mangalhat Police Station sparked allegations of lock-up death due to police torture, was treated with dignity.
Giving details of the case, the Commissioner said Bheem Singh, 40, of Raheempura, was summoned to the police station on Saturday, in connection with a case registered against him based on a complaint lodged by one Dilip Bharathi of Begumbazar stating that he was beaten up by Bheem Singh in an inebriated condition. The case was registered against Bheem Singh in Cr.No.43/2017 under Sections 341, 323, 506 IPC.
Bheem Singh was summoned to the Police Station at 11.55 AM on March 17. He was allowed to sit in the chairs located in the hall along with another suspect Birju Singh where all SIs were sitting. During the enquiry, he was also allowed to talk to family members from SIs phone. At about 4.30 PM, he went into the toilet and did not come out for next 20 minutes. Another suspect Birju Singh who was also seated along with the deceased in the same room wanted to use the toilets found that it was closed and informed the same to the staff on duty. The door was forced open immediately and he was found collapsed in the bathroom in unconscious state. The police officers present in the Police Station brought him out and initially gave first aid of resuscitation and immediately shifted him to Osmania General Hospital at around 5.15 PM. The doctors examined him and declared that he was brought dead.
“The deceased thus was in the Police Station from 11.55 AM to 5.55 PM as per the visuals of the CCTV footage available in the Police Station. The entire period of his stay in the Police Station has been recorded in the CCTV footage,” the Police Commissioner said.
Based on the death of the deceased a case in Cr.No.45/2017 u/s 176 Cr.PC has been registered. As per the NHRC guidelines, the investigation of the case has been entrusted to ACP Mahankali from the neighboring Zone namely North Zone. Based on the requisition of Investigating Officer, the Executive Magistrate/MRO Thasildar held inquest over the dead body of the deceased and a team of Forensic Doctors of Osmania General Hospital conducted Post Mortem Examination over the body of the deceased under the cover of videography. The doctors who conducted PME opined that the death was due to Myocardial Infarction (Acute Cardiac Arrest).
“A scrutiny of CCTV footage covering the entire period of stay of the deceased at the Police Station from 11.55 AM to 4.55 PM indicates that the deceased/suspect was treated with dignity in the Police Station and he was comfortably seated before he went into the toilet where he suffered massive cardiac arrest. There were no injuries found anywhere on the body of the deceased. During the investigation it was revealed that the deceased was a chronic alcoholic,” the Police Commissioner said.
He said that further investigation would be carried out and action would be taken as per the facts. (INN)