CBI court frames charges against 3 docs, 5 Haryana cops

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court, Haryana, on Monday framed charges against three doctors and five Haryana policemen in the Rewari custodial killing case of 2005.

The CBI court framed charges against Dr Prabhu Dyal Mehra, Dr Jai Kishan Saini and Dr Ashok Saini, who all were then posted at General Hospital, Rewari, for criminal conspiracy, disappearance of evidence and for framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save the cops from punishment.

Against then inspector, Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Randhir Singh and other then CIA employees -- ASI Nihal Singh, head constable Gurdial Singh, head constable Ajit Singh and exemptee head constable (EHC) Rajesh Kumar, the charges are framed for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and wrongful confinement.

The case

Chhajju Ram, an ex-serviceman, lived with his wife Khello Devi in Rewari. They had three children -- Sunita, Anil and Mukesh.

On July 14, 2005, Khello Devi, Chhajju Ram, Anil and his wife Pinky had gone to Delhi in the morning and returned to Rewari around 4 pm. After their arrival, they came to know that in the morning, the CIA, Rewari, staff had taken away Mukesh from the house. Soon they came and took away Chhajju Ram and Anil also. Chhajju Ram was picked up by CIA, as a gangster Vinod Kumar had mentioned his name for allegedly supplying arms to them.

Chhajju Ram, who was allegedly beaten up by the police in the presence of Anil and Mukesh, died the same day.

The post-mortem was conducted on July 15, by a board of doctors, consisting of Dr Mehra, Dr Jai Kishan and Dr Ashok. These doctors did not find even a single injury on the body. Anil and Mukesh were also told that their father had died of heart attack. Karan Singh, younger brother of Chhajju Ram, moved an application for a second post-mortem before the deputy commissioner, Rewari.

Dr Luv Sharma of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, who conducted the second post-mortem, provided the details of multiple injuries on the body which were ante mortem including on the scalp. "Four injuries were revealed in the second post-mortem which were caused by a hard and blunt object. All the accused will now face trial in the case," said CBI counsel DS Chawla.

On September 25, 2009, the Punjab and Haryana high court transferred the case to the CBI for investigation on the petition of Khello Devi, and on October 31, 2009, the CBI registered the case.