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Custodial death: 3 Karnataka police personnel suspended, FIR registered for dereliction of duty

The 3 cops, including a sub-inspector, had not informed their senior officials when taking custody of the two accused, one of whom died.

ByBellie Thomas

Published Nov 29, 2023 | 5:54 PM ⚊UpdatedNov 29, 2023 | 5:55 PM

The family of the victim suspect foul play. (Creative Commons)

A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against three Karnataka police personnel — a police sub-inspector (SI) and two constables — attached to the Nangali Police Station in Mulbagal in the Kolar district on Tuesday, 28 November.

They have been booked for the wrongful confinement of two accused persons, one of whom allegedly died in police custody last month.

SI Pradeep Singh and constables Manjunath and Mahantesh Pujari have been booked under Section 343 (wrongful confinement for three or more days) of the Indian Penal Code.

They have also been suspended indefinitely pending the case, a senior police official told South First.

Also read: Questions raised over killing of Jharkhand man in Bengaluru

Details of the incident

Mulbagal Sub-Division Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Nandakumar, who conducted a departmental inquiry soon after the alleged custodial death of one of the accused, submitted a report to the Office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Kolar.

He stated that the three police personnel had illegally detained two persons accused of theft for about 15 days and had been interrogating them at the police station and also at different locations, after which the two accused were released from police custody.

All these policing activities were carried out by the trio without informing their senior officials, he noted.

Based on the report, SP M Narayana suspended the three policemen — including the SI — on Tuesday.

According to police sources, SI Pradeep Singh and PCs Manjunath and Mahantesh were probing a theft case and had picked up two suspects — who were habitual offenders — from Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh on 17 September.

Victim’s family takes action

The two accused — Muniraju (30) and Balaji — were brought to the Nangali Police Station and were interrogated.

They were reportedly taken to other locations as well for interrogation, while Muniraju fell ill. He was taken by the police to a private hospital where he died on 1 October. Further, the other accused Balaji was let go.

Based on the medical report from the hospital, the local police registered a case of unnatural death. However, Muniraju’s family from Andhra Pradesh cried foul and protested against the Karnataka police.

With the help of an activist, they even filed an RTI query seeking the CCTV footage from the Nangali Police Station for the duration of Munijraju’s custody.

However, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Nangali Police Station failed to furnish the footage, after which Muniraju’s family filed an appeal with the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), which imposed a penalty of ₹25,000 on the SHO.

Meanwhile, the Kolar SP ordered a departmental inquiry into the matter and instructed DSP Nandakumar to conduct a thorough probe into the incident and submit a report.

Based on the DSP’s report, which pointed out that the SI and the two police constables failed to inform their seniors about taking custody of the two men accused of theft, the trio were suspended for dereliction of duties and an FIR was registered against them for wrongful confinement.