Nine days after Suleman died during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Nehtaur town of Bijnor, the complaint of the family of the deceased against six policemen has been accepted and made part of the investigation.
Sanjeev Tyagi, Superintendent of Police, Bijnor, told The Hindu that no separate FIR had been lodged. “The complaint of the brother of Suleman has been accepted and made part of the investigation.”
When asked if two contrasting versions could be part of the same FIR, Mr. Tyagi said it was routine and the investigation would reveal the truth.
Those who have been named include the then SHO Rajesh Solanki, Sub-Inspector Ashish Tomar and Constable Mohit.
Afzal Ahmad Ansari, advocate and uncle of Suleman, confirmed that they were only given a signed copy of the complaint and were told that their FIR had been lodged. “It is against natural justice. The law allows us to lodge a separate FIR. It is up to the court to merge them or not,” he said.
Separate FIR
Police sources and media reports had indicated that a separate FIR had been registered against six policemen for killing Suleman during the protest against CAA on December 20. Mr. Solanki was replaced by Satya Prakash Singh three days back.
Mr. Ansari alleged that Constable Mohit had earlier been involved in cases of ‘encounters’ and his role was suspect. “The District Magistrate has also promised a magisterial inquiry to the family members but it seems the police were trying to save their own”.
Brother’s complaint
In the complaint, Shoaib Malik, brother of Suleman, said Suleman was picked up by SHO Solanki, S-I Tomar, Constable Mohit, and three others from Agency Chowk of Nehtaur and was shot dead in the nearby Ghasmandi area.
The police had maintained that the S-I’s pistol was snatched by a mob and when constable Mohit went to recover the weapon, he was fired at. When he fired in self-defence, Suleman got grievously injured. The ballistic report had revealed that Suleman was hit by a police bullet.
