3 arrested for Nido Tania’s murder in judicial custody

Three persons arrested in connection with death of a 19-year-old Arunachal Pradesh youth, who was allegedly beaten by some shopkeepers here, were on Tuesday remanded in 14-day judicial custody by a Delhi court.

Accused Farman, Sunder Singh and Pawan Parmania were produced before metropolitan magistrate Pawan Kumar, who sent them to Tihar Jail till 18 February after the police did not seek their custodial interrogation.

Besides being charged with murder, the trio have been booked under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. ‘The IO (investigating officer) has moved an application for 14 days of judicial custody (JC)... As requested by the IO for JC of accused persons, the accused are remanded in JC till 18 February,’ the court said. Meanwhile, the counsel for Sunder and Pawan opposed the JC remand and sought bail on the ground that they were the witnesses in the case and the police have falsely implicated them at the behest of deceased Tania’s relatives. 

Even family members of the accused persons present in the jam-packed court room told the judge that the boys were innocent and the court should take action against the police personnels for implicating them. The judge, however, turned down their request and said that ‘the court is not run by emotions’. 

‘There is no need of making such submissions before this court,’ the judge said, adding that bail pleas will be heard on 6 February.

Relatives of Tania, a BA student in a private university, alleged he had an altercation with the shopkeepers on 29 January after they made fun of his hairstyle, following which they thrashed him. He was brought dead in AIIMS the next day.