The commission says that police cannot resort to mental and physical torture of an alleged offender or his family. It is supposed to be a protector and defender of human rights
The national human rights commission has issued a notice to the director of the central bureau of investigation (CBI) asking him to send an action taken report on the allegations made in the suicide notes of BK Bansal and his son within 72 hours.
The report must also include the names of the delinquent public servants. As per media reports on the contents of the suicide notes, there had been mental and physical torture by the officers of the CBI during investigation of corruption charges against BK Bansal, former director general, ministry of corporate affairs. The torture drove Bansal, his son, wife and daughter, to suicide.
The CBI director has also been asked to give the name of the havaldar/head constable whose name is not mentioned in the suicide notes.
Taking serious view of the alleged illegalities and human rights violation by the CBI, which, for investigations, derives its powers from Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, the commission has observed that the police officers are supposed to investigate the offences as per law in a scientific manner by carrying out investigations in a human rights-friendly way.
They cannot be allowed to resort to physical assault, mental and physical torture of an alleged offender or his family members. It is supposed to be a protector and defender of human rights.
The commission has also noted that the wife and daughter of the Bansal committed suicide on the July 19, 2015, just three days after he was arrested by CBI.
Bansal in his suicide note allegedly said that the deputy inspector general (DIG) of CBI had threatened him. The suicide note also indicates names of DIG, who ordered two lady officers for torturing his wife and daughter, who slapped, abused and scratched them with nails after which both of them had, allegedly, committed suicide.
Allegedly, the suicide note also stated that death of his wife and daughter was not a suicide and the director of CBI should initiate an inquiry against his officers as it was “simply” a case of murder.
“They abused, thrashed and mentally tortured my family constantly. They threatened me after saying that will ruin the life of my family who will be subjected to such torture that they will ask for death but will not get it.”
Bansal also alleged that his wife and daughter had shared the details of “torture” with friends and neighbours before taking their lives. “Even if I was at fault in the case, why were my wife and daughter pushed to suicide? Someone should conduct a lie-detector test on all of them to know the truth.” His son Yogesh in his suicide note claimed he was “unofficially” subjected to “mental and physical” torture to that extent that he was forced to take such an extreme step. “All the five CBI officials, including the DIG, had unofficially and off-the-record tortured me, my mother and my sister.”