Srinagar, Nov 10: The government informed the court today that it had appointed the superintendent of police, Hazratbal, Maqsood-uz-Zaman, as inquiry officer in the case in which some boys had alleged that they had been “forced to sodomise each other” by the police in custody. 
 On October 27, police had arrested 11 boys on charges of stone pelting and booked them under section 152, 336 and 146 RPC vide FIR No 95/09. They were lodged in the police station, Maharaj Gunj here for two nights. 
 On October 29, when the arrested boys were produced before the Ist additional sessions judge, Ashok Gupta, three of them accused the police of “forcing them to sodomise each other” in the lock up.
 Shocked at the revelation, the judge ordered their release in an open court. Subsequently, police denied the charges terming these baseless, concocted and without any substance. Authorities had said the boys were habitual stone pelters and had levelled the allegations to defame the police.
 Meanwhile, the former general secretary of the High Court Bar Association, Advocate Bashir Siddiquee, had filed a complaint before the court on behalf of the arrested boys. He sought their medical examination by eminent doctors.
 Conceding the plea, the judge directed the medical superintendent of the SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, Dr Wasim Qureshi, to conduct the medical examination through a team of eminent doctors and report back to the court on November 5.
 On November 5, the court upbraided the doctors’ panel constituted by SMHS Hospital of the Government Medical College, Srinagar, terming its medical report as “sad, casual and non-serious.”
 “The perusal of the medical report submitted to the court by the medical superintendent reveals that the medical examination has been conducted in very casual and callous manner,” the judge said in his order.
 The judge had directed the medical superintendent to be present on the next hearing (today) “to explain as to why he, despite specific directions passed by the court, has not taken any pain while submitting his report to this court regarding the accusations levelled.”
 The court directed the High Court Bar Association to nominate “at least three members who shall produce all the applicants before the medical superintendent of SMHS hospital within two days”.
 The in-charge medical superintendent presented the report of two boys before the court today which said the boys required examination by experts of Bone and Joint and the ENT. The government sought 15 days to complete the inquiry.
 The prosecution informed the court that SP, Hazratbal, had been appointed as inquiry officer in the case. The court directed the police to produce the report on November 25 and also asked the medical superintendent of SMHS Hospital to be present in person before it along with the detailed medical report on November 26.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 IST