School principal’s family says he was tortured to death

Contesting the police claim that their son attempted to escape from custody, the family of Rizwan Pandit, a school principal, Thursday said he was brutally tortured to death in custody.

“How would have my sonattempted to escape from the police custody when from the beginning he wastortured and locked in their custody? There were clear wounds and torture markson his body. The condition of his body clearly indicated that he was ruthlesslytortured,” said Assadullah Pandit, father of slain Rizwan Asad Pandit ofAwantipora in South Kashmir.

   

“He had a swollen and bruised abdomen. His right leg hadswollen and broken,” he said.

Pandit said theinvestigating agency can exhume the body of Rizwan and find his body full ofwounds and cuts. “The police report about his escape is a cooked up story. Theyare trying to bury this murder case like scores of similar cases in the past,”said Pandit while breaking down.

Pandit’selder son Mubashir Asad Pandit said, “I have the pictures of his body in myphone. The pictures clearly show that my brother Rizwan had undergone thirddegree torture. There were burn and cut marks all over his body because ironand roller was used on him.”

The doctors at the Srinagarhospital where Rizwan’s autopsy was conducted told the family that he had alsosuffered injury to his spinal cord.

The family, Mubashir said, will bear to exhume his body andsee how ruthlessly he was tortured. “We want impartial inquiry into the case sothat the culprits are booked and hanged,” Mubashir said.

Rizwan, 30, was picked up by police during a raid at hishouse on the night of March 17. Two days later on Tuesday, the family wasinformed about his death in custody.

On Tuesday, a policespokesman said that in pursuance of “terror case” investigation, a personnamely Rizwan died in police custody. “In this matter, while following theprocedure laid down in section 176 of CrPC a magisterial inquiry is underway.”

On Wednesday a magisterial inquiry at Srinagar was closedand a fresh inquiry was initiated in Pulwama district. The fresh probe will nowbe conducted by the additional district magistrate Pulwama, who has been askedto submit the report within four weeks.

On Thursday, Rizwan’s family members, relatives, neighboursmostly from Sikh community staged a protest in Awantipora.

The protesters sought time-bound investigation in the case.

The management at Sabir Abdullah Public School Awantiporawhere Rizwan was working as principal also organized a condolence meet.

“His death is a big lossfor our school, for staff members and students,” said one of Rizwan’scolleagues.

Complete shutdown was observed in Awantipora on the thirdstraight day to mourn his death.

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