The NHRC has issued notices to Rajasthan’s chief secretary and director general of police, describing the allegations as a serious case of alleged custodial violence. It said the claims, if established, would amount to a violation of the right to life, personal liberty, and human dignity guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, the Indian Express reported.
The NHRC said the alleged involvement of multiple police officials and the severity of the assault, reports that Avtar lost consciousness and his subsequent hospitalization, raised concerns about the abuse of police authority, custodial safeguards, and institutional accountability.
This comes ahead of RSS functionary Krishna Avtar, alleging that the police personnel stripped and assaulted him while he was in custody. The personnel also made insulting remarks about his family. Six police personnel, including the station house officer (SHO) of Narena police station in Jaipur Rural, have been suspended following allegations.
According to the complaint filed by Anurag Aagiwal, read by FoEJ Media, Avtar was taken to the Narena police station around 9 pm on October 10 without any stated reason. The complaint questions the legal basis for his detention and whether he was formally arrested.
“While Krishna Avtar was on the road, personnel from Narena Police Station allegedly seized him and took him to the police station,” the F.I.R. read.
It further alleges that Avtar was stripped, beaten, and subjected to verbal abuse. When he identified himself as an RSS pracharak, the personnel allegedly continued the assault.
The FIR names seven people, including Narena Police Station SHO Umrav Singh. Six personnel, including Singh, have been suspended following the allegations. The case invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of peace, and criminal intimidation. The complaint also calls for the preservation and examination of CCTV footage from the police station, official records, and medical documents, the FoEJ Media learnt.
Following news of the alleged assault, several RSS volunteers gathered outside the police station on Sunday morning to protest. Sambhar Circle Officer Mukesh Joshi and former Phulera MLA Nirmal Chaudhary also visited Naraina police station in an effort to defuse tensions. Jaipur Rural Superintendent of Police Hanuman Prasad Meena said complaints alleging negligence had been received against six police personnel: SHO Umrao Gurjar, Assistant Sub-Inspectors Omkar and Ramesh, and constables Kuldeep, Mahipal, and Vinod.
As reported by the Indian Express, the NHRC said the alleged involvement of multiple police officials and the severity of the assault, reports that Avtar lost consciousness and his subsequent hospitalization, raised concerns about the abuse of police authority, custodial safeguards, and institutional accountability.
The Commission has directed the chief secretary and the DGP to submit action-taken reports within two weeks. The DGP has been asked to provide details of the circumstances and legality of Avtar’s apprehension, the FIR, the preservation of CCTV footage and other evidence, and measures to protect the complainant and witnesses.
