AIIMS to examine if Chahal was tortured by Punjab Police

Chandigarh, July 24 (UNI) The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Director of the New Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to examine B I S Chahal, media advisor to former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and to check the veracity of the allegations of the former about physical and mental torture at the hands of state police and vigilance officials despite a high court order against doing so.

The Court directed AIIMS to constitute a special board for this purpose. AIIMS has also been asked to submit the report within two weeks.

This order was passed by Justice Uma Nath Singh at the conclusion of submissions of Chahal in the court giving graphic details of how he was arrested on June 10 at Ludhiana where he had gone to join the investigation by the Vigilance Bureau and subsequently tortured around midnight, first in the vigilance office before shifting to criminal investigating agency(CIA) staff premises there.

Chahal broke down in the very first minute and could not speak a word nor were the words uttered by him audible and clear enough to be understood properly. At this, Justice Singh ordered his staff to provide a glass of drinking water to the accused so that his submission could have appropriate clarity.

The court had summoned him to give details of torture, though a division bench had on June 15 specifically directed against doing so.

The torture details included beating him up in custody with hands and shoes, and giving electric shocks including on private parts.When Justice Singh confronted one of the investigating officers present in the court about the allegation, he denied any such thing done to the accused and conveyed his consent for entrusting medical examination by AIIMS.

The report of AIIMS in this regard is to be ensured by the district police chief, Patiala and the copies of the same be made available to the court and the accused also.

MORE UNI