BK Bansal case: NHRC notice to CBI

NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to CBI director Anil Sinha over the suicide notes of bureaucrat B K Bansal and his son, who alleged harassment by the agency’s investigators.
Expressing deep anguish and shock over the contents of the suicide notes of Bansal, a former DG of corporate affairs who was facing graft charges, and his son Yogesh, NHRC asked Sinha to share their copies with it and sought an action-taken report within three days, including the names of officials facing the allegations.
CBI started an internal probe on Wednesday, a day after the father-son duo allegedly killed themselves.
On Thursday, CBI appointed a joint director-level officer in the agency to monitor the internal probe and look into the allegations. The officer will supervise the inquiry on a regular basis and take inputs from Delhi Police.
Bansal’s wife and daughter allegedly committed suicide on July 19, three days after he was arrested by CBI and its sleuths raided their house.
In its notice, NHRC also asked for the name of the havaldar/head constable, mentioned in Bansal’s note.
“Taking serious view of the alleged illegalities and human rights violations by CBI, which, for investigations, derives its powers from Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, the commission has observed that police are supposed to investigate the offences as per law in a scientific manner by carrying out investigations in a human rights friendly way. They cannot be allowed to resort to physical assault, mental and physical torture of an alleged offender or his family members. It is supposed to be a protector and defender of human rights. Therefore, it fully endorses the reported statement made by B K Bansal in the suicide note to the effect that even if he was at fault in the case, why were his wife and daughter pushed to suicide?” said NHRC .
The suicide note alleged that a DIG ordered two women officers to torture his wife and daughter, who were slapped and abused, NHRC pointed out.
Bansal also said that the death of his wife and daughter was a “case of murder” and that the CBI director should initiate an inquiry.
According to the former officer’s suicide note, his wife and daughter had shared the details of “torture” with friends and neighbours before taking their lives.