Justice After Four Years: Disabled Man Stripped in Police Custody, Cops Fined Rs 50,000

Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) fined two police officers ₹50,000 for stripping a disabled chartered accountant in 2021. Initially, police denied the allegations. However, HHRC's investigation found the officers guilty after probe.

Gurugram: After four years of enquiry, Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on two police officers for stripping a physically disabled person at Saran police station. The survivor, Chartered Accountant Anil Thakur, was arrested on April 6, 2021 based on his wife's complaint alleging domestic abuse. On May 24, 2021, he was taken to the police station, where he was allegedly stripped and filmed. The videos were later circulated on the internet. 

Upon receiving the complaint from the CA, HHRC  sought a report on the incident from Faridabad police station. In August 2021, a report submitted to the authorities confirmed the arrest of a chartered accountant but denied claims that he had been stripped or harassed while in custody. However, by September 2021, the Human Rights Commission instructed the police to form an inquiry committee and review CCTV footage from the date of the incident.

The committee later stated that although the man was held naked in the lock-up, it was supposedly a voluntary act due to extreme heat. It also reported that the relevant CCTV footage was unavailable.

Unsatisfied, the commission directed the police to reassess the findings. A revised report was then submitted, revealing that Assistant Sub-Inspector Jagwati and Constable Rakesh Kumar had instructed the man to strip down to his underwear. The report acknowledged that both officers had failed in their duties.

The full bench of the commission — led by Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, along with members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia — ruled that the police had committed a serious violation of the man's human rights. "Stripping a detainee without justification, particularly in custody, is a form of humiliation and psychological abuse," the commission noted, adding that the act constituted a “blatant abuse of power.” It also condemned the fact that a relative of the detainee was allowed to record videos during his detention.

Puneet Arora, the Protocol and Public Relations Officer of the commission, announced that the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) had ordered a compensation of ₹50,000 to the victim. The amount is to be recovered equally from ASI Jagwati and Constable Rakesh Kumar. “Custody must never become a space for humiliation or torture,” Arora said. “This ruling makes it clear that custodial misconduct and abuse of authority will not be tolerated.”

The commission emphasized that while the compensation was symbolic, it served as official recognition of the violation of the complainant’s dignity and basic human rights.