HC asks cops to record Army officers` statements over jawan`s death

Bombay High Court directed Pune cops to record statements of Army colleagues of a jawan on petition by his father alleging that his son was murdered and did not commit suicide as concluded by police.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday directed Pune cops to record statements of Army officers concerned and colleagues of a jawan on a petition filed by his father alleging that his son was murdered and did not commit suicide as concluded by police. A bench headed by Justice Naresh Patil ordered the state government and police to record statements of the colleagues of Lance Naik Narendra Singh who was found dead on May 25, 2012, following which police registered a case of suicide.

In his petition, Narendra Singh`s father Rattan Singh demanded probe into the death of his son refuting conclusion by police that he took his own life. The high court posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks. According to the deceased`s father, his son had got married in Haryana on February 3, 2012 and brought his wife to Pune in May 2012. However, in the same month he was found dead. Rattan Singh claimed in his petition that he received two calls from the Army personnel, saying his son had been found dead. "One call said he (Narendra Singh) had jumped before a train on the railway tracks, while the other call said that he had consumed poison," the petitioner said. Although police had registered a case of suicide, the petitioner strongly suspected that his son was murdered and sought probe. The petitioner said he suspected that his daughter-in-law had an affair with some person before her marriage and this also had become an issue of dispute between her and his deceased son. The petitioner said he had also filed a civil suit seeking to restrain the Army from paying the group insurance money of Rs 20 lakh to the deceased Narendra Singh`s wife.