New Delhi, August 21, 2009

Mohan Lal, a rickshaw puller in Amritsar, Punjab was picked up by the Jammu & Kashmir Police for interrogation in connection with some incidents of burglaries in the State. He was tortured during interrogation following which he died on 2nd July, 2003 in the Police Line Hospital of Jammu. First postmortem conducted at Government Medical College, Jammu disclosed sixteen ante-mortem injuries on Mohan Lal's body. His relatives took his body to Amritsar and insisted on second postmortem. The second postmortem report revealed 41 ante-mortem injuries including six marks of electric shocks. The Commission took up the matter on a complaint filed by a human rights activist Suhas Chakma on 9th July, 2003 and after consideration of reports issued show cause notice to Jammu & Kashmir Government. However, when the State Government failed to submit reply to the show cause notice, the Commission recommended that the Jammu & Kashmir Government pay monetary relief of five lakh rupees to deceased Mohan Lal's next of kin. The Commission has asked compliance report with proof of payment to the victim's family eight weeks.
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