Gurgaon: Haryana Human Rights Commission has ordered a senior-level probe into allegations that an advocate was illegally detained, assaulted and humiliated by police personnel at Sadar Ballabgarh police station in Faridabad.Taking cognisance of the complaint, the commission directed Haryana DGP to have the matter investigated by an officer not below the rank of inspector general of police. It also ordered immediate preservation of CCTV footage of the police station, warning against erasure or overwriting, and sought its production before the commission.The complainant, Mohit Dalal, alleged he and his companions were stopped for document verification at Chandawali Chowk at 11.30pm on July 2, forcibly taken to Sadar Ballabgarh police station, confined overnight and forced to sign a written apology.Hearing the complaint, commission chairperson Justice (retd) Lalit Batra observed that if the allegations are substantiated, they would prima facie amount to violations of the fundamental rights guaranteed under articles 14, 19, 21 and 22 of the constitution.Calling custodial violence, illegal detention and inhuman treatment among the gravest human rights violations, the Commission said every citizen, irrespective of profession or social status, is entitled to dignity, fairness and respectful treatment by law enforcement agencies.The commission stressed that preservation of arrest records, custody records and CCTV footage was essential for ensuring a fair, transparent and impartial enquiry.Listing the case for hearing on Sept 10, the commission directed that the police department must submit a report at least a week before the next hearing. The report must clarify whether the complainant and his companions were detained, the legal basis for detention, the identities of police personnel present and whether any FIR, DDR, arrest memo or station diary entry was recorded.The chief medical officer, Faridabad, has been asked to furnish details of the complainant’s medical examination.
