Kashmir: CBI Charges DSP, 7 Policemen in Custodial Torture of Constable

SRINAGAR: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against a deputy superintendent of police and multiple other Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel over the alleged custodial torture of police constable Khursheed Ahmad Chohan in Kupwara last year. The charge sheet, filed on Friday, formally accuses at least eight officers—including DSP Aijaz Ahmad Naiko—of criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder, causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapons, and wrongful confinement, according to a report by The Telegraph.

​The high-profile case gained national attention after Chohan, who was summoned to the Kupwara police headquarters in February 2023 regarding a narcotics inquiry, was reportedly detained without legal sanction and subjected to six days of torture. The atrocities described in the CBI’s filings include brutal physical assault, electric shocks, mutilation of genitalia, and other forms of inhuman treatment, resulting in Chohan’s hospitalisation at SKIMS.

The central agency acted after the Supreme Court transferred the investigation to the CBI in July, criticising local police and the state high court for failing to protect the victim’s fundamental rights and ordering interim compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Chohan.

​A special CBI investigation team promptly arrested the accused officers, who remain in custody after their bail applications were rejected by a Srinagar court. Chief Judicial Magistrate Aadil Mushtaq Ahmad ruled that the seriousness of the offence and risk of witness tampering necessitated continued detention, as reported by News Arena India.

The CBI’s investigation cited extensive medical records and witness testimony supporting allegations of torture, while disciplinary proceedings have been directed against those implicated, with compensation to be recovered from their personal assets once the departmental inquiry concludes.