UP: HC asks CB-CID to probe HuJI operative’s death in custody

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Monday directed the Crime Branch-CID (CB-CID) to probe the death of alleged HuJI operative Khalid Mujahid, who had died while he was being brought to a Lucknow jail after appearing in court in a terror case in Faizabad on May 18, 2013.

On a complaint lodged by Khalid’s uncle Zaheer Alam Falahi, Barabanki police had then lodged an FIR of murder against against former DGP Vikram Singh, then ADG (Law and Order) Brij Lal, former ASP Manoj Kumar Jha, Deputy SP of Special Task Force Chiranjeev Nath Sinha and 37 others, including IB officials.

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Barabanki police has filed a closure report in the case twice in a local court. While it has been rejected once, the second report is pending before court. Additional Advocate General Zafaryab Jilani confirmed the court decision.

Last year, Khalid’s uncle had moved high court for a CBI probe. This was after the CBI turned down the state government’s recommendation to probe Khalid’s death. Falahi had also demanded a compensation of Rs 20 lakh from the state government.

“The division bench comprising Justice Ajai Lamba and Justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastava has directed for a CB-CID investigation into the matter,” Falahi’s lawyer Syed Farman Naqvi said.

The UP STF had claimed to have arrested Khalid and Tariq Qasmi from near Barabanki station on December 22, 2007 with RDX and detonators. Both were arrested for alleged involvement in serial blasts at Lucknow and Faizabad courts in November, 2007. The state government later set up the R D Nimesh Inquiry Commission to probe the arrests.