Srinagar, Aug 21: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested six policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a Sub-Inspector, in connection with the alleged custodial torture of a fellow police constable in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The arrests come weeks after the Supreme Court directed the central agency to investigate what it termed as “brutal and inhuman” treatment inflicted on the victim, Constable Khursheed Ahmad, during illegal detention.
Officials said those taken into custody include Deputy Superintendent of Police Aijaz Ahmad Naiko, Sub-Inspector Riyaz Ahmad, and four policemen posted at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) Kupwara. Two civilians have also been named in the case.
The victim, Constable Khursheed, was detained on February 20, 2023, and kept at the JIC for six days. According to a complaint filed by his wife, he was beaten, subjected to electric shocks, pepper rubbed into his private parts, and rods inserted in his body. He was left “half-dead” before local protests forced authorities to move him to hospital, she alleged.
Medical records from Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, confirm he suffered grievous injuries, including the removal of both testicles, multiple fractures, and burns.
Last month, the Supreme Court came down heavily on the Jammu and Kashmir administration, ordering the CBI to register an FIR and investigate the case. A bench of Justice VikramNath and Justice Sandeep Mehta observed that the torture violated the victim’s fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution.
“The complete mutilation of his genitalia, the use of pepper and electric shocks, and the fractures across his body are grave reminders of the inhuman torture he was subjected to,” the judges remarked.
The court also directed the government to pay the constable ₹50 lakh as compensation. Following the order, the CBI constituted a Special Investigation Team headed by a Superintendent of Police to probe the case.
Despite repeated pleas from the family, the victim was denied access to relatives during his detention, his wife said, alleging that senior officers allowed the torture to continue unchecked.
