Out on parole, jail inmate ‘illegally’ detained by CIA staff

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 21

A jail inmate, who was out on parole for a month, is alleged to have been “illegally detained” by a CIA-1 team from his house.

Family members of Vishal, a resident of Kalan village, approached the District and Sessions Judge through their advocate Lachman Kumar Khatri. Later, a duty magistrate was appointed, who was ordered to conduct a probe into the incident.

The magistrate also conducted a check at the CIA-1 office.

Vishal was lodged in jail in connection with a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

He has been booked in three cases and has been convicted in one while in two other cases, he has been granted bail.

Members of Vishal’s family alleged that as he reached the house, the CIA-1 team took him into custody ‘illegally’ without assigning any reason. They said after taking him to the CIA-1 office, he was “mentally tortured”.

“Before the arrival of the magistrate at the office, the CIA-1 team received information about the visit and the officials left through the back door,” family members added.

Even a video clip showing CIA-1 officials taking Vishal into custody from his house at Mandi Kalan village went viral on the social media.

In the video, members of Vishal’s family can be seen pleading before the officials to leave him.

Vishal’s advocate Khatri said, “Earlier, whenever Vishal used to come out of jail, CIA officials used to harass him demanding money. He said they also used to threaten to implicate him in a false case if he failed to give the money.”

“Annoyed, Vishal’s wife had lodged a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On May 30, the court directed the SSP to look into the case. The next hearing in the case is on August 27,” Khatri added.

The advocate said Vishal came out of the jail on July 16 and on Saturday, around 7 am, a CIA-1 team reached his house and beat him up.

He said later, the team took him to the CIA-1 police station.

Talking to Bathinda Tribune, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Nanak Singh said the duty magistrate had inspected the CIA-1 police station, but nothing was found as he was not brought there.

The SSP said he had not seen any video showing the CIA staff taking Vishal into custody.

The duty magistrate, meanwhile, is expected to submit his report on Monday even as there is no clue to Vishal’s whereabouts.