Man loses fingers in police torture; NHRC seeks report from UP

The National Human Rights Commission today issued notices to UP Police and jail authorities following reports of a man losing his fingers and facing amputation of his gangrene feet due to alleged custodial torture.

The rights body has issued notices to Senior Superintendent of Police and Superintendent of District Jail in Gorakhpur after Ashutosh Singh of Kaushali village of the district lost four fingers and was facing the possibility of amputation of his feet due to spread of gangrene after being allegedly tortured by police, an NHRC statement said.

The action by the rights' body came following a report forwarded by an NGO that Singh was arrested by the Station Head Officer of Sahjanva Police Station and severely tortured in custody.

He was later sent to District jail in an injured condition. The jail administration sent him to a medical college where doctors stated that he was suffering from gangrene, the statement said.

Singh, after getting bail got treatment in SPGI in Lucknow, Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS in New Delhi, where doctors had to amputate his four fingers to save his life. There is also a possibility that his feet may be amputated because of gangrene, it said.

"The Commission observed that the contents of the report, if true, raises serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim and directed the SSP, Gorakhpur to submit report within four weeks," the NHRC said.

The rights body has also directed the Superintendent of District jail of Gorakhpur to submit a copy of the admission register showing the health of the victim at the time of admission and discharge from jail along with medical treatment given to him during judicial custody.