HC asks CBI to probe Nand Nagri custodial death

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday ordered a CBI probe into the alleged custodial death of a youth in the Nand Nagri area of Northeast Delhi in September, saying there was an urgent need to "instill confidence in public".
Granting relief to victim Shahnawaz Chaudhary's wife Rabia, the court said CBI will probe the "serious allegations leveled against police personnel".
Justice Siddharth Mridul termed the Delhi Police SIT's investigations as "far from fair and independent", adding that it is "incumbent upon me to transfer the investigation to the CBI to instill confidence in the general public".
HC directed the SIT to hand over the case to CBI within a week, while it gave the latter six weeks to wrap up its probe. It said the agency should register a regular case on the basis of the FIR already lodged by the police. It said it expected all authorities to cooperate with the agency in the investigation.
However, the court left it to lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung and the Delhi government to decide on the plea to award appropriate compensation to Rabia and her six-month child. The bench directed the DCP to provide adequate security to an eyewitness, Zahid Ahmed. The orders came in connection with an incident on September 7, at Nand Nagri when the victim, Shahnawaz, allegedly tried to intervene in a roadside scuffle between a couple and the police.
In her plea, Rabia had alleged that her husband was picked up and taken to the police station where he was later found dead.
The SIT had on Wednesday claimed that the victim was unconscious when he was taken into the emergency response vehicle (ERV) and might have even died by then. The police also refuted Rabia allegations that he was beaten with sticks and rods, saying she never said so in her first statement.