Senior ex-cops flag ‘lapses’ in Anis death probe

The former police officers The Sunday Express interviewed were also intrigued by the role of civic volunteers. They said “such lapses” as alleged by the family will undermine the police integrity.

While Anis’s family has been demanding a CBI investigation, the state government had a few days ago formed a special investigation team (SIT). With the case taking a political turn, student unions have taken to the street to demand “justice” for Anis.

Former Director General of Police Bhupendra Singh said he was not sure what role civic volunteers were playing in the case. “When I was there, we didn’t have civic volunteers. So what power is being exercised by them under the police Act isn’t known to me. The warrant can be issued and executed by the local police station where the person resides. So, it is important to find out the purpose of the visit of police. What was the briefing given to them and what were they supposed to do? Statements of everyone who were there need to be recorded,” said Singh. The two arrested accused had claimed that they were sent to Anis’s house on the instruction of an officer in charge without identifying him/her.

Another retired top police officer, who did not wish to be named, alleged that police rules were sidestepped. Former DGP Singh said the post-mortem report alone cannot ascertain if Anis jumped off or was pushed from the building.

Retired Inspector General of Police Pankaj Dutta said the case could have been solved by a sub-inspector had the police rule book been followed.

“The first police mistake was delay in reaching the PO (place of occurrence). The incident… took place around 2 am. But the police reached the house after a gap of seven to eight hours. It is a serious lapse,” said Dutta, adding that a sniffer dog could be have helped the police trace the accused.

“The entire PO… wasn’t cordoned off with a rope to prevent evidence being destroyed or distorted. Everything could have been photographed, which was apparently not done,” said the former IGP. Dutta said the police should clear the air if they had sent any personnel to Anis’s house or if he died while fleeing the house or killed self to escape police. “In the absence any clear official statement, the credibility of the local police has been badly hit,” said Dutta.