Jammu, 4 August (H.S.): Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kathua Ajay Kumar has directed the Senior Superintendent of Police, Kathua to file Action Taken Report (ATR) in an application/complaint under Section 175(3) BNSS, 2023 filed by two Punjab Labourers namely Sukar Deen and Farid Mohammad.

The applications are seeking registration of an FIR against the officials of Police Station Basohli including SDPO Basohli who inflicted third degree torture upon the applicants/complainants initially at Atal Setu and later at Police Station, Basohli on June 29th, 2025.

After hearing Advocate S S Ahmed with Advocate Vishal Gupta appearing for the applicants/complainants and the two applicants who were present in person, the CJM Kathua directed SSP Kathua to file ATR before the next date of hearing—August 11, 2025.

In the application, the victims have stated that on June 29th, 2025, a Police contingent led by SDPO Basohli without any lawful justification started beating them at Atal Setu and then they were taken to Police Station Basohli where they were subjected to third degree torture for almost two hours. In order to justify their illegal act, a false/frivolous FIR No.0061/2025 dated June 30th, 2025 U/s 132/221/352/3(5) BNS’2023 was registered against the applicants at Police Station, Basohli as a cover-up exercise.

It has been mentioned in the complaint that on June 30th, 2025, the Investigating Officer of the case PSI Kusum Sulakhiya produced the applicants in the Court of Munsiff (JMIC), Basohli Bhanu Bhasin for seeking police remand of five days.

The Munisff (JMIC), Basohli after observing the physical condition of the applicants and after going through the CD File observed that the guidelines/safeguards in case titled D.K. Basu Vs State of West Bengal have not been complied with by the Police and the applicants have been beaten in the Police Station, Basohli and for this reason, the JMIC, Basohli declined Police remand and granted a judicial remand for a period of five days.

Both the applicants were admitted to interim bail on July 1, 2025 and their bail was made absolute on July 7, 2025. Both the applicants after their discharge from Civil Hospital, Pathankot sent a detailed application on July 7, 2025 along with the documentary evidence to the SHO Police Station, Basohli seeking registration of FIR against SDPO, Basohli and other police officials for their inhuman act of brutally torturing them at Atal Setu and later at Police Station.

However, no FIR was registered in the matter. Thereafter, it was on July 23rd, 2025, the applicants approached the SSP, Kathua with a written request to register FIR in the matter in view of the refusal of SHO Basohli but SSP did not move in the matter and thus the applicants approached the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kathua.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar