NEW DELHI: A court has directed police to register an FIR on a complaint filed by an advocate alleging that he was assaulted by police officials while he was trying to arrange oxygen cylinders for a family member during the second wave of Covid-19.
Metropolitan magistrate Ayush Sharma said it was clear that the proposed accused people were neither on official duty nor their alleged acts could be categorised as within the legal domain. “It is the mandate of our Constitution under Article 21 that a person’s life and liberty shall not be curtailed or abridged without the support of the procedure established by law,” the court said.
The July 11 order stated, “The complainant has categorically narrated all the details of the incident and the alleged acts cannot fall prima facie within the protection afforded by the law.” The alleged acts prima facie disclose commission of cognisable offence, it added.
The court directed the station house officer concerned to investigate the matter after registering the FIR and file a compliance report on July 26.
Advocate Manjeet Mathur has claimed that in April 2021, his sister, who is working in Delhi Police, was hospitalised due to Covid-19. On April 22, the attendants of all patients were asked to arrange oxygen cylinders.
Mathur said he and his cousin had gone to Rani Bagh Gol Chakkar as somebody was providing free oxygen. The person told them that he had run out of oxygen, but was arranging for more. When Mathur went later in the day, he saw some cops allegedly taking his cousin and four others in a police vehicle.
Mathur was allegedly assaulted by some officials in civil dress and taken to the police station when he went to talk to his cousin. He couldn’t register an FIR despite talking to the additional SHO and the DCP concerned.
The inspector concerned said the vigilance inquiry report stated the allegations could not be substantiated.
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