J&K CM Abdullah assures justice to family of man who committed suicide alleging police torture

Jammu, Mar 4 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday met the family of a man who committed suicide after alleging police torture over his suspected links with terrorists in Kathua district last month.

Makhan Din (25), a Gujjar youth from Billawar, ended his life by consuming insecticide at his home on February 4. He also filmed the act wherein he denied having any connection with terrorists, prompting separate probes by police and the local administration.

“Met with the family of Makhan Din from Billawar Kathua today. His tragic suicide, following alleged police excesses, is a grave loss. I assured his family of full government support and our commitment to justice,” the chief minister wrote on X.

The chief minister’s office shared the post along with two pictures of Din’s family members and Independent MLA Rameshwar Singh interacting with Abdullah.

Meanwhile, Amandeep Kour, sub-judge (special mobile magistrate), Kathua, has extended the deadline for submitting an action taken report on two complaints seeking the registration of an FIR in the alleged custodial torture of Din by a day.

The two complaints, one filed by the family of the deceased and another by two advocates, Mohd Anwar Chowdhary and Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, sought appropriate directions to the SSP, Kathua, and SHO, Billawar police station, to register an FIR in the case.

When the two complaints came up for hearing before the sub-judge, assistant public prosecutor Ankush Mahajan appeared along with the SHO, and filed an application seeking 10 days’ extension for submitting the action taken report.

The court was informed that an inquiry into the matter was pending, and the action taken report could not be filed within the given time frame as the SHO was busy with the law and order situation, and conducting search operations.

Advocate Appu Singh Salathia, appearing for the complainants, questioned the delay in the filing of the FIR and submitted that on the mere excuse of inquest proceedings and magisterial inquiry, the SHO cannot escape his duty to register an FIR in the matter.

Salathia argued that the law is well settled as both inquest proceedings as well the FIR can go on simultaneously, saying no further extension should be granted to the police and the complaints be decided expeditiously without further loss of time.

Directing Mahajan to produce the case diaries, the sub-judge deferred the proceedings for the second half.

Later, the court granted a day’s time to the SHO to file the action taken report and posted the matter for hearing on March 6.