http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/20091015200910150352204219b5d191a/Why-shouldn’t-we-register-a-case-of-murder-against-you-HC-asks-cops.

Why shouldn’t we register a case of murder against you, HC asks cops

Observing that Altaf Sheikh died in police custody, court asks additional public prosecutor for details of officers who detained him

By Hetal Vyas

Posted On Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 03:52:20 AM

Mehrunisa Sheikh has alleged that her son Altaf (pictured) was picked up by police on Sep 9 and died in police custody. She wants his body to be exhumed for a post-mortem The Mumbai Police once again face a serious allegation of custodial death. Hearing a petition filed by Vikhroli resident Mehrunisa Sheikh, mother of 22-year-old Altaf, the Bombay High Court prima facie observed that the young man had died in police custody last month. “You have killed him, why should we not register an FIR against you [police] under Section 302 (for murder)?” remarked the Division Bench of Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice A R Joshi. The court has now directed Additional Public Prosecutor K V Saste to submit an affidavit giving details of police officers who had detained Altaf. Mehrunisa, who works as a domestic help, has sought HC directives that her son’s body be exhumed for a post-mortem, which may reveal the real cause of his death. Her petition alleges that police killed Altaf, a driver, in custody and later held a press conference saying that he had died of drug overdose. According to the petition, the police had picked up Altaf from his Park Side residence around 4 am on September 9 and taken him to the police station. Later that evening, Mehrunisa received a call from the police saying that an injured Altaf had been admitted to Rajawadi Hospital. When she reached there, he was lying dead on a stretcher. “His skull and ear were badly injured. His ears were bleeding, too, and when he was taken to the hospital, he was just wearing a shirt and underwear, no trousers,” Mehrunisa’s lawyer Yug Chaudhary told the court. He also drew the court’s attention to the post-mortem report, which lists many injuries on Altaf’s body. “No FIR has been registered against the concerned officers,” Chaudhary argued, referring to Altaf’s address shown as “care of Ghatkopar Police Station” and “brought by police sub-inspector Shinde” in the post-mortem report. Chaudhary also mentioned that 20 per cent of all custodial deaths in India happen in Maharashtra. The court will hear the case again on Thursday.