CBI announces Rs 2 lakh reward for information on 2 Madhya Pradesh cops in custodial death case

New Delhi: After a rap from the Supreme Court for not arresting personnel accused of custodial torture, the CBI has declared a reward of Rs 2 lakh each for information on two Madhya Pradesh policemen, who are on the run in connection with a death of a 25-year-old Dalit in a police station in Guna.

Then Town Inspector Sanjeet Singh Mavai and Assistant Sub Inspector Uttam Singh have absconded in connection with the allegations of custodial torture and death of Deva Pardhi at the Myana police station on July 14 last year. Pardhi was apprehended on charges of theft along with his uncle and died under mysterious circumstances in the police station.

The CBI action came on Wednesday, a day before the SC was to examine a detailed status report on the investigation to be submitted by the agency.

The CBI, which took over the case from MP Police following a Supreme Court order, has arrested and filed a chargesheet against Sub Inspector Devraj Singh Parihar, Town Inspector Zubair Khan, and a private individual related to the case.

However, Mavai and Singh have escaped the CBI net so far, prompting the investigating agency to announce a reward for providing information about their whereabouts that could lead to their arrests.

Both of them have been declared proclaimed offenders by a court on August 18 while non-bailable warrants were issued earlier. Police had claimed that Deva died of heart attack while his family had alleged that police torture led to his death.

The CBI has registered a case in May 27 this year charging policemen under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, which includes Section 105 that deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and Section 3(5) common intention, as well as Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 that provides for life sentence for certain offences.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court criticised the CBI for not arresting absconding police officials while hearing a contempt petition filed by the 25-year-old victim's mother. The apex court has set a one-month deadline for the CBI to arrest the two policemen. It also instructed the CBI to ensure the safety of the victim's uncle, who was the sole eyewitness in the case and currently in judicial custody.