SC forms SIT to probe ‘custodial torture’ case

Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Monday constituted a three-member special investigation team (SIT) to probe the allegations of custodial torture of two women who were arrested during protests over the RG Kar rape and murder.

It was learnt that the SIT, made up of senior IPS officers, shall submit weekly status reports to Calcutta High Court which has been entrusted with monitoring the investigation.

The SIT members are Akash Magharia, DIG, Presidency Range; Sujata Kumari Veenapani, DCP, traffic, Howrah Police Commissionerate and Swati Bhangalia, SP, cybercrime and Bengal Police.

The apex court earlier this month had stayed the Calcutta High Court’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe order into the alleged custodial case.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the West Bengal government, had contended that directions for transfer of investigation to CBI are being passed in a routine manner without following the guidelines laid down by the Apex Court in this regard. He submitted that allegations of custodial torture seemed to be fictitious and concocted as the accused persons never raised any complaint before the trial court at the time of production or filing their bail applications.

On October 8, Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj of the High Court took a serious view of allegations that the State police had tortured one Rama Das while she was in their custody from September 8-11, after her arrest on September 7.

In its order, the High Court had observed that “upon reviewing the medical report submitted by the Superintendent, Diamond Harbour Sub-correctional Home , South 24-Parganas, it is evident that Ms. Rama Das was subjected to physical torture while in police custody.”

On November 6, a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court led by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam rejected the state’s appeal against this single-judge order.