Cop, key witness in custodial death case, suspended

SIMLA: Family members of Constable Dinesh Sharma, a key witness in the 2017 custodial death case linked to Gudiya rape-murder, has accused police of subjecting him to mental harassment and urged the Himachal Pradesh government to take action against those responsible for it.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Dinesh’s brother, Suresh, alleged that the constable was transferred five times in one-and-a-half months and claimed he has now been suspended. Shimla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Singh, however, denied the allegations and said that Dinesh was suspended due to his repeated disobedience of departmental orders. Suresh said Dinesh’s son is severely disabled and is unable to walk.

“His father’s presence is very crucial for his daily care and transportation to school. Dinesh had requested the authorities to defer his transfer on humanitarian grounds. However, instead of receiving relief, he has been suspended after he visited the Lok Bhavan to raise the same issue,” he said. Suresh further claimed that Dinesh was on duty when Suraj, one of the accused in the Gudiya rape and murder case in Kotkhai in Shimla district, died in police custody.

He said that Dinesh later testified before the court about the incident, and his testimony proved to be a significant development in the case. He said that the testimony contributed to the conviction of eight police personnel, including the then IG, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI court

in Chandigarh.

Demanding justice, Suresh said the family would move the Himachal Pradesh High Court, the Human Rights Commission and, even the Supreme Court if they failed to get relief at the state level.