04 November,2019 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Newly installed CCTVs seen at Wadala TT police station on Saturday. Pics /Faizan Khan
Following mid-day's consistent reports on the Wadala TT police station operating without any CCTV surveillance, CCTV cameras were finally installed on the premises on Saturday. The gross oversight came to light during mid-day's reportage on 26-year-old Vijay Singh's alleged custodial death last week.
The investigation of the incident has been assigned to Unit 4 of the Crime Branch. Officers probing the matter pointed out that the police station in question did not have a single CCTV camera.
"There were CCTV cameras at the police station but they were not working. Now, four new cameras have been installed inside the station house and one at the entrance, few more cameras will also be installed soon," an officer from Wadala TT police said.
A 2015 SC judgment mandates all police stations to have CCTV cameras. The court had then ordered all states to get CCTVs installed in police stations no later than two years from the date of the order.
Vijay's family has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), claiming that the crime branch will also shield the suspended cops. In a press conference along with their lawyer, the family said that the crime branch is neither sharing Vijay's post mortem details, nor filing an FIR. They also said that they fear for their security.
"I lost my son; I know he will never come back. All I want is justice for him to ensure that no parent has to go through such pain. I and my entire family saw him dying. We pleaded with the police to let us take him to the hospital but they were inhuman. I can't explain how horrifying it was. Police were not willing to take him to the hospital even when he fainted, claiming there is no fuel in their vehicle. I noticed an OLA driver outside and took his help to take Vijay to Sion hospital. I checked his pulse on the way and knew he was dead. After his death, dozens of police vehicles came to the hospital. I don't know how they got fuel then," said Vijay's father Hariday Singh.
"I don't trust the Mumbai Crime Branch. They are probing the case without an FIR against the suspended officers. They are doing everything they can to save their men. We want a CBI inquiry, I demand that the Chief Minister transfers this case to the CBI," Hariday said.
Vijay's cousin, Nirmal Singh, who was present with him during the scuffle, claimed that he was beaten by the couple first and then the police. He claimed that the woman threatened to file a rape and molestation case.
"After celebrating Diwali, my brother was going near the RTO to talk with his fiancée over the phone. I was at the petrol pump behind Wadala TT police station with a friend and while leaving, I noticed someone being thrashed nearby. I knew Vijay was in the area so I looked for his motorbike, which I found lying on the road. I saw the couple beating Vijay and asked the woman to leave him alone but she threatened us with a rape complaint and suddenly a police vehicle arrived and took all of us to the police station. My brother said that the couple was angry about his bike's headlight flashing on them and despite his apologies, they argued with him," Nirmal said.
Nirmal further claimed that the cops thrashed Vijay after the woman claimed that she was molested by him. He was allegedly thrashed all the way to the police station and then put inside a lockup. "We requested them to listen to us but they said, 'Diwali tumhara yahin katega'. Sometime later my brother started suffering from chest pains. He asked to be taken to the hospital but the cops did not listen. It was after he started crying in pain that they removed him from the lockup," Nirmal said.
The family's lawyer, Vinay Nair said that they will be petitioning the Bombay High Court for a CBI probe in the case. "We do not trust the investigation being done by the crime branch without an FIR," Nair said.
2015
Year SC ordered all states to install CCTV cameras inside police stations
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