There was negligence on part of police station, says crime branch

Vijay Singh

The Mumbai Crime Branch (CB), investigating the alleged custodial death of Vijay Singh at Wadala TT police station, has recorded about 20 statements of police officers, which includes those who have been suspended, and that of the complainant couple as well. However, none of the versions have revealed anything related to custodial torture of the deceased.

According to the CB, the primary investigation points at medical negligence, as the on-duty cops failed to provide him immediate medical help when he was complaining of chest pain. Some of the cops even said that they did not take the matter seriously as 13 non-cognizable complaints were filed the same day, of which four to five accused complained of chest pain.

However, the CB is still waiting for the detailed viscera and histopathology reports to ascertain the exact cause of Singh's death. Requesting anonymity, a CB officer said, "Primary investigation has not revealed custodial torture in the case. Some statements indicate that there was negligence on the part of the police station in providing medical aid to the deceased, when he repeatedly complained of chest pain."

Some of the cops, including the suspended ones, who were present at the police station on the day of the incident, said prior to Singh's complaint they had received 13 non-cognizable cases. Out of all these, at least four to five people complained of chest pain just like Singh, which was why they did not take him seriously.

Wadala TT police station

In his statement to the police, another cop said due to shortage of the fuel at the Nagpada refueling centre, they could not use the vehicles at the police station to take Singh to the hospital when he fainted. They stopped a private vehicle, which was passing by and a relative rushed him to the hospital.

Investigation has also confirmed that the Wadala cops filed two NCs in the matter and even the video in which cops are seen forcing complainant Dashrat to sign on a blank NC form has turned out to be true. Crime Branch sources said the video would be sent to the forensic department to find out its authenticity. In their statement to the CB, the couple - Afreen Ali and Dashrat Devendra - have said that the officers did not beat up Singh in their presence but they did not pay heed to the fact that he was complaining of chest pain.

20
No. of statements the CB recorded in the case

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates