Asian Centre for Human Rights

Subject: Complaint against torture and custodial death of Beer Singh, a Dalit and a resident of Dehera village, under the jurisdiction of Dhaulana police station of Ghaziabad on 6 December 2003..

Dear Justice Anand,

I am writing to seek immediate intervention of the National Human Rights Commission against custodial death of Beer Singh, a Dalit and resident of Dehera village, under the jurisdiction of Dhaulana police station of Ghaziabad on 6 December 2003.

Please find enclosed the clippines "Dalit dies in police custody", The Pioneer, 7 December 2003 and "Dalit leader suffocated to death: autopsy" of The Times of India, 8 December 2003.

The press clippings are self-explanatory.

I shall be grateful if the NHRC could kindly make an urgent intervention and take the following measures:

- Direct the State government of Uttar Pradesh to order a judicial inquiry into the custodial death of Beer Singh;

- Direct the State government of Uttar Pradesh to provide the most mortem report which should have been conducted in full conformity with the guidelines provided by the National Human Rights Commission;

- Direct the State government of Uttar Pradesh to suspend the concerned police personnel and take other necessary action;

- Direct the State government of Uttar Pradesh to pay interim compensation of Rs 500,000 (five lakhs) to the victim's family and the same be recovered from the guilty police personnel; and

- Take any other measures that the NHRC deems fit.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely

Suhas Chakma
Director