New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Thursday, March 4, directed the Uttar Pradesh police to provide the original X-ray plate and video of the post-mortem of Navreet Singh to Delhi police.
Navreet is a young farmer who died on Republic Day during the farmers’ tractor rally.
The high court was hearing a plea by Navreet Singh’s grandfather, Hardeep Singh Dibdiba, who has claimed that the Navreet had died due to gunshot injuries.
Both Delhi police as well as the Uttar Pradesh police have said that he died when his tractor overturned. His post-mortem was conducted at Rampur district hospital in Uttar Pradesh but the family were not given relevant documents, leading them to suspect foul play.
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Justice Yogesh Khanna said that both the original documents should be handed over to an official of Delhi Police on March 5 at 2 pm and they shall be retained by the investigating officer in safe custody.
Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra told the court that though they have asked for the original X-ray plate and post-mortem video, the Rampur police and hospital had denied them the same, unless this was ordered by the court.
Advocate Garima Prashad, representing the Uttar Pradesh Police and the chief medical officer of the hospital, said they do not have the X-ray report but only the X-ray plate and the post-mortem report which they are willing to hand over to the Delhi Police on the date and time fixed by the court.
The petition, also filed through advocate Soutik Banerjee, has sought a court-monitored probe by a special investigation team into the death of the young farmer.
Advocate Vrinda Grover, representing the petitioner, sought a copy of the X-ray report and post-mortem and inquest reports. As Mehra stated that they have no objection in giving those documents to the petitioner, the high court said, “Let the needful be done,” and listed the matter for further hearing on March 17.
Grover added that once the original X-ray plate is received from the Uttar Pradesh Police, the court can ask AIIMS or any other forensic department to prepare a report.
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Delhi Police had earlier said that according to the post-mortem report, the young farmer died due to a head injury as a result of the accident. However, several doctors and forensic experts had opined that his injuries were consistent with a bullet injury and that the X-ray report would clear all doubts in the matter.
The Delhi Police, also represented by advocate Chaitanya Gosain, has relied upon the footage collected from a CCTV camera located at the site near ITO crossing on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, where the incident had taken place. In the video released by Delhi Police, Navreet can be seen colliding with the barricades and his tractor going turtle. While police had taken possession of all other cameras in the vicinity, it had only released a clip from one angle.
The Delhi Police in the March 4 hearing agreed to show the footage to the petitioner’s counsel. “The CCTV footage further indicates that the protesters did not take the injured Navreet Singh to any nearby hospital and instead they attacked the ambulances that reached the site after hearing about the accident and also spread rumours that he was killed,” said Delhi police.
The high court further directed that a copy of the post-mortem report and inquest report should be provided to the petitioner as well.