Shiv Kumar is president of Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan (MAS) and a co-accused in the case against Dalit labour rights activist Nodeep Kaur. He was arrested on January 16 and a medical report by Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh has now revealed that “he has multiple injuries, including fracture in his left hand and right foot.”
Suprakash Majumdar, Delhi
New Delhi: “The state is hell bent upon silencing the democratic voices of the oppressed masses by brutally torturing them,” said Rajveer Kaur, sister of Nodeep Kaur after a medical report of Shiv Kumar by Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh, came out on Thursday.
Shiv Kumar is the President of Mazdoor Adhikaar Sangathan (MAS) and a co-accused in the cases against Nodeep Kaur. The medical report, a copy of which lies with TwoCircles.net, notes that at least eight injuries were found on Shiv Kumar’s body with two fractures on the left and right feet that were caused by a ‘blunt object/weapon.’
The medical examination was conducted under the supervision of Dr Dasari Harish HOD, Forensic Medicine & Toxicology at GMCH. The examination was conducted only after the court on February 19 had directed the Sonipat Jail to get Kumar examined at GMCH. This was after Shiv Kumar’s father Rajbir presented before the court that his son has been subjected to “police torture.”
According to the statement given by Shiv Kumar to the five-member medical team, Shiv was arrested on January 16 at around 2:30 pm by the C.I officers. “Seven people arrested me and took him to the old Kacheri, Sonepat where I was assaulted by the C.I. officers,” he had said.
Shiv also spoke about how he was ‘tortured’ in captivity. According to his statement in the report, he said that both his feet were tied and the C.I. officers hit him on his soles. He was made to lie on the ground with both legs straight and a metal pipe was placed on his thigh and rolled over the thighs by two people. They also hit him on both hands and palms and also on the back of his head.
According to the report, Shiv says that he wasn’t allowed to sleep for three days and the officer asked him questions and give names. When he failed to answer the questions, the officer tied him to a chair and poured water on his head, he said to the medical team.
The medical report mentions that the nails on the left thumb and index finger of Shiv Kumar shows bluish-black discolouration with tenderness and called it a gruesome injury along with the injury on the right foot.
The report also said that according to the X-ray reports there are two fractures on the left hand and the right foot with possible fractures on the left foot and right wrist.
“The case is in the High Court right now and we have been telling this from the time Shiv was arrested that he is being tortured,” said Advocate Harinder Singh, who is fighting Shiv Kumar’s case.
“We have been demanding the release of the medical report at the time of his arrest,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to comment on this much as this report is already in front of everybody.”
Psychiatric evaluation in the medical report states that Shiv Kumar is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder-like symptoms. The report goes on to say that he appeared sad and distressed with occasional crying spells. He also showed symptoms of anxiety and is getting flashbacks of the brutality meted out to him.
SP Sonepat J.S. Randhawa did not respond to repeated calls from TwoCircles.net and also didn’t respond to questions sent on text messages. However, SI Shamsher Singh from the Kundli police station denied the allegations, saying, “We did not do anything. Whatever was done was done by the officials in the jail.”
According to the police, Shiv was arrested on January 22 and was present in court on January 23. The family and the lawyer have alleged that they were not allowed to meet Shiv at the jail after trying numerous times.
On February 24, Rajbir, father of Shiv Kumar was allowed to meet him briefly. According to Rajbir, Shiv told him that he was arrested on January 16 by the C.I. officers near the KFC building at the Singhu border.
TwoCircles.net earlier reported on how Shiv Kumar sent a note from the jail to his father explaining how and when he was arrested.
Rajbir said that Shiv was kept in different Dharamshala’s where he was tortured by the C.I. officers and was sent to the Kundli Police station on January 22.
The report said that all the injuries on Shiv’s body are two weeks old, which can prove the family’s and colleagues’ allegation of unlawful arrest.
“He looked really scared. I think he was in pain. Can you imagine what am I going through as a father,” said Rajbir in a broken tone.
The next hearing in Shiv Kumar and Nodeep Kaur case is on March 16. “We will file a bail plea for Shiv Kumar in the next couple of days,” Advocate Harinder Singh said.