Police torture over petty theft leads Punjab teen to commit suicide

Amritsar: A teenager committed suicide here after being allegedly tortured by a cop for his “involvement” in a theft case. [caption id=“attachment_1557771” align=“alignnone” width=“380”] Representational image. Agencies[/caption] Harjit Singh (15) committed suicide last night in Sultanwind village on the outskirts of the city, police said on Monday. However, parents of the boy alleged that Harjit was whisked away by police for his alleged involvement in a theft case. During two days of illegal confinement, he was allegedly inflicted inhuman torture, they alleged. The moment he was let off by the police, he went to the fields in Sultanwind where he allegedly hanged himself from a tree and died on the spot, his parents alleged. Police had tortured the boy for allegedly stealing a water pipe that was lying abandoned on roadside. The parents of deceased demanded strict action besides registration of criminal case against police officials who were responsible for inflicting torture that led him to take extreme step of suicide. The boy was allegedly tortured by a cop Iqbal Singh posted in the Tarn Taran police who detained him and tortured him mercilessly, the deceased’s parents alleged. Tarn Taran SSP Manmohan Sharma said that Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Iqbal Singh has been placed under suspension. However, the autopsy of the boy will be conducted by the medical board to check the injury marks, Sharma said. PTI