The family alleged that the police picked up Sachin in the middle of the night just on the suspicion of his involvement in a mobile phone theft case and said that the teenager’s last rites would be performed only after justice is done in his case
Photo for representational purpose
The body of Sachin Jaiswar, who died days after being detained by the Dharavi police in connection with a mobile theft, has been lying in the mortuary of JJ Hospital for the past two-and-a-half years with the family refusing to accept it until an FIR (first information report) is registered against the police.
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The family insists that the teenager’s last rites would be performed only after justice is done in his case. They alleged that the police picked up Sachin in the middle of the night just on the suspicion of his involvement in a mobile phone theft case, stated a report in Mumbai Mirror.
The subsequent police highhandedness and torture in custody caused his death, the family claims.
The postmortem report, however, suggests that he died due to leptospirosis and pneumonia. The police had initially registered an accidental death report, but later, following family pressure, transferred the case to the Crime Branch for further inquiry.
According to the family, cops from Dharavi police station came to their house around 1 am on July 13, 2018 and inquired about Sachin who at that time was in Mahim attending a birthday celebration.
On the cops’ insistence, Sachin’s father, Ravindra Jaiswar, called him home, and the teenager was taken into custody in connection with a mobile theft case. The family claimed that Sachin had nothing to do with the mobile snatching case, and that those who were actually involved in it had told the police that he was innocent.
As per the family, the cops forcibly took him to the police station and detained him there without even registering an FIR in the case. While in custody, he was tortured and locked up in a toilet that had stagnant filthy water, excreta and urine, the family said. He was allegedly brutally beaten up with wooden sticks. “My elder son, Sunil, spotted Sachin being assaulted by the policemen and requested them to free him, but they showed no mercy. On the contrary, they asked Sunil to leave the police station,” said Ravindra.
Around 10.30 pm on July 13, Ravindra and Sunil were allowed to meet Sachin at the police station. “He was not even able to stand straight, and a foul smell of urine and excreta was emanating from him. We once again requested the police to release him. Considering his poor physical condition, the police agreed,” said Ravindra.
Once home, the family said, they noticed Sachin had severe fever – he was shivering and was not even able to stand properly. He told the family that he was physically tortured by the police. The family took him to a local doctor, and when his condition worsened, Sachin was rushed to Sion Hospital on July 14 at around 12.15 am, where he was put on ventilator.
Later, the family lodged complaints with police and government authorities about the alleged torture.
On July 21, around 6.30 pm, Sachin died during treatment. His postmortem report showed bilateral pneumonia as the cause of death. Earlier, his leptospirosis test was also positive.
The family believes that Sachin may have contracted an infection from the filthy toilet, and this, along with the injuries from the alleged police assault, resulted in his death. Even after they filed a complaint, while he was admitted to the hospital, the police neither conducted an inquiry nor took any action, the family claims.
Sunil, said: “Even if we assume that he was infected with leptospirosis earlier, his condition became serious only because of the police assault. He was brutally beaten up by the police and could not get treatment in time due to his illegal detention. We want justice for Sachin. Action must be taken against those responsible for his death. We will not take the body until an FIR is registered.”
“It’s been over two-and-a-half years since the Crime Branch started an inquiry, but there has been no progress.” Jaiswar said the family had filed an RTI application for access to the CCTV footage from cameras installed near their house and from those in the police station, but to no avail,” said Ravindra.
Similarly, he said, the family had sought access to the documents related to the progress in the case, but the police refused to provide the information.
Siddharth Chandrashekhar, Jaiswar’s lawyer who is representing the family in the high court where a writ petition in connection with the case is pending, said, “Sachin Jaiswar was absolutely healthy prior to being summoned to the police station. Though the official cause of death is lepto and pneumonia, the police after detaining Sachin, tortured him. He was locked in the toilet for a full night, and he might have caught an infection there.”
Chandrashekhar said, “The court has understood the case, and has been sympathetic whenever the matter is heard. But after the lockdown, the matter has not been taken up.”
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