GURUGRAM: Eight people, including a lady assistant sub-inspector, a head constable and two constables of
Bhondsi police station, along with four others, were
booked on the direction of
Sohna court, for harassing a
peon working at the court, who was allegedly locked up at the police station, stripped naked and threatened with a frame-up in a false case.
The case was filed at Bhondsi police station against ASI Rajjo, head constable Rajkumar and two other constables, whose names were not specified, along with Bhondsi resident Rajpal and his sons — Bhula, Ravi and Kallu.
Peon Mangal Singh, also a Bhondsi resident, has claimed he had refused to fulfil the demands of the
cops to pay a bribe and desist from filing a complaint against a villager. Singh’s brother Pramod is involved in a legal fight with Rajpal and his sons over personal matter. Two years after the case began to be heard, in mid-July, judicial magistrate (first class) Ramavatar Parekh of Sohna court passed an order, convicting Rajpal’s sons Ravi and Bhola, with one-and-a-half years of jail and penalty of Rs 2,000 each.
Pramod filed an appeal against the order, demanding harsher punishment. Irked with the court order and the appeal, Rajpal and his sons attacked Singh’s house around 9pm on July 19, holding him responsible for the conviction and beat Singh’s family. “They said they were convicted because I work in the court, and threatened to kill my children unless I withdrew the case,” said Singh.
But Pramod and his sons, accompanied by other villagers, reached the spot in the nick of time and rescued them. “Rajpal threatened me while going back, demanding we withdraw the case,” said Singh in his complaint. The same night, Singh went to Bhondsi police station to file a complaint, where head constable Rajkumar and two other cops abused him. Instead of registering his complaint, they put Singh in the lock-up. “They stripped me naked, thrashed me and kept me locked up all night,” said Singh, adding he was released at 4am on July 20 and asked to pay Rs 50,000 to cops by 10am or else they would frame him in a fake case and put him back inside the lock-up.
Upon return to his house, Singh sought his family’s counsel. Once again, they decided to file a complaint. When Singh went back to the police station, the lady ASI, the head constable and two other cops threatened to put him in the lock-up and asked him to return with the money within the next 24 hours.
On July 21, Singh was in court on duty when he received a call from ASI Rajjo, asking him to come over to the police station with the money and settle the case with Rajpal. “When I reached, Rajpal and his sons were already present there. They started abusing me, and when I objected, the cops joined in the abuse, also thrashing me. They were unhappy I hadn’t managed to pay the money,” said Singh, adding ASI Rajjo put him in the lock-up.
Singh’s wife was also present at the police station when her husband was beaten and locked up. “I asked my wife to approach a Sohna court judge, informing him of my illegal detention and treatment. She met the judge late in the evening, who issued a search warrant at 9pm. At around 10pm, court reader Lakhi Chand reached Bhondsi police station with the warrant and release letter,” said Singh. Singh was released at around 10.30pm. He immediately went to the judge to have his statement recorded, after which his medical was done. Based on his complaint, the court observed there is need for a probe, and directed police to file an FIR against cops and others involved.
Spokesperson for Gurugram police Subhash Bokan said a case has been registered on the direction of the court. “Police will investigate the case,” he said.
