Taking suo-moto cognisance of the custodial death of a Pulwama teacher Rizwan Pandith, the state human rights commission (SHRC) Tuesday directed the Srinagar senior superintendent of police to present a detailed report of the incident before it.
“It has been reported in a newspaper that a school teacher namely Rizwan Pandith who was arrested few days before at Awantipora has died in police custody in the intervening night of Monday/Tuesday in Srinagar. Notice be issued to SSP Srinagar to file a detailed report before the commission,” reads the order issued by the commission.
Earlier, the police in its statement ordered its own inquiry, besides the magisterial enquiry which is in accordance with the norms laid down in case a person dies in custody of the police.
However, Pandith’s family members said: “…He used teach at his Elite Institute at Awantipora and was also a school principal. This is a custodial killing. He was not affiliated with any militant outfit. He was only affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). My father is also affiliated with JeI. This is no crime,” Pandith’s kin says in a video.