UP court orders reopening of 2021 custodial death case against eight policemen

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A court in Ambedkar Nagar has ordered the reopening of a custodial death case involving a 36-year-old man, Ziauddin, who died in police custody in 2021. Eight policemen are facing murder charges in connection with this case. The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Sudha Yadav, expressed concerns that the initial investigation appeared "incomplete" and "flawed."

In the court's order, CJM Yadav dismissed the police's claim that Ziauddin died of a heart attack, noting the significant injury marks found on his body. She pointed out that at the age of 36, there was no evidence suggesting Ziauddin had any serious health issues, nor was there any indication of alcohol or drug use that could have contributed to his death. "The investigation conducted by the police on these points appears to be incomplete and flawed," the CJM stated.

Ziauddin's death occurred on March 24, 2021, while he was in custody at the Sammanpur police station, where he had been detained in connection with a robbery case. Following his death, his brother Shahabuddin filed a complaint, leading to a murder and abduction case against the eight policemen from the Sammanpur police station. Shahabuddin alleged that Ziauddin had been subjected to continuous beatings while in police custody. He further claimed that Ziauddin's condition deteriorated, necessitating his admission to a district hospital, where he died shortly thereafter.

Despite the police officials' denials of any wrongdoing, the deep injury marks discovered during the postmortem examination have raised significant suspicions regarding the actions of the eight policemen. The CJM noted that on October 2, 2022, the police investigation officer, Birendra Bahadur Singh, had exonerated all accused officers, attributing Ziauddin's death to a heart attack. Following this exoneration, Shahabuddin filed a petition contesting the police's final report.

The CJM accepted Shahabuddin's protest petition and dismissed the investigator's final report, stating that the police must conduct a fair and impartial further investigation. She directed the Superintendent of Police in Ambedkar Nagar to appoint an officer at the level of deputy superintendent of police to oversee this new investigation. In line with the court's directive, Circle Officer, City, Akbarpur, Devendra Maurya, has been appointed as the new investigation officer.

As it stands, all eight policemen implicated in the custodial death are still serving within the police force, pending further investigation into the matter.

(With inputs from PTI)