Drug accused dies at PGIMS; kin alleges Haryana Police torture
Victim’s cousin Vinod said the narcotics cell had picked up Harpal from his house on July 1 and later they brought him to a place in Rohtak from where they claimed to recover some drugs from his possession
After a 40-year-old man from Fatehabad, who was picked by the narcotics cell of Hisar police, died during treatment at Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) on Friday, the family members of deceased Harpal Singh, a resident of Nandori village, alleged that the police subjected him to third-degree torture.
Victim’s cousin Vinod said the narcotics cell had picked up Harpal from his house on July 1 and later they brought him to a place in Rohtak from where they claimed to recover some drugs from his possession.
“ A case was registered against Harpal at the urban estate police station in Rohtak and the Hisar police had taken him on remand. They gave him third-degree torture in Hisar and when his health worsened, the narcotic cell officials called a quack. When Harpal’s health deteriorated, he was admitted to a private hospital in Hisar and a local from our village had seen Harpal there and he informed us,” the victim’s cousin added.
He further said when they had gone to the private hospital to meet Harpal, police denied permission.
“Then we approached the court and Harpal was brought to PGIMS on July 15 and he succumbed to his injuries on Friday. The police shall book all staff of Hisar narcotic cell and suspend them,” he added.
Hisar DSP Kaptan Singh said Harpal Singh was arrested in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case and the exact cause of death will be known in the post-mortem report. He added that an investigation has been initiated into his death case on the basis of his family’s statements.
