Rajinderjit, along with two other persons Amarjit Singh and Kala, who went missing on February 2, were shown as arrested by the Sunder Nagar police post personnel in Ludhiana on February 5, under the Arms Act. While Amarjit and Kala were later released, the deceased was tortured in the police custody by giving him electric shocks when he resisted police attempts to implicate him in another false case, Mr Davinder Singh Chauhan, his cousin, alleged.

As his condition deteriorated, he was remanded into judicial custody and admitted to Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, on February 6. Further, he was referred to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, yesterday from where he was shifted to the PGI here last evening in a serious condition where he died of acute renal failure, PGI sources said.

On the other hand, Mr Harbans Singh, in charge of the Sunder Nagar police post, while refuting the allegations of torture, said a loaded .12 bore pistol was recovered from him and he was booked under the Arms Act.

He claimed that the deceased was a drug addict and his condition deteriorated due to “withdrawal symptoms” when he did not get drugs in judicial custody. The medical examination at the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, showed that there were no injury mark, he added.

In the meantime, the Lawyers for Human Rights International (LHRI), constituted a team comprising Mr Ravinder Singh Bassi, Mr Arvind Thakur and Mr Tejinder Singh Sudan, to follow-up the case. A CD prepared by the team showed that electric shocks were given to the deceased as his body had torture marks and had turned blue, Mr Thakur alleged.

Mr Thakur alleged that even when he was being treated at the PGI, he was chained to the emergency bed which was in violation of the Supreme Court judgements.

Later, talking to reporters, the LHRI president, Mr Amar Singh Chahal, demanded a high-level inquiry into the death and the registration of a case under Sections 302, 120-B and 34 of the IPC against the guilty police officials. He also demanded compensation of Rs 15 lakh for the next of the kin of the deceased.

Mr Navkiran Singh, LHRI general secretary, alleged that the judiciary and the executive had proved to be ineffective in protecting the human rights violations in the state.