According to the family, Shukla was picked up by police on February 15, 2020, in connection with a vehicle theft case and kept in illegal custody for nearly a week.
Punjabi singer found dead in canal days after abduction in Ludhiana. (Representational image)
A court in Ludhiana has directed that murder charges be framed against four police personnel, including a former station house officer (SHO), in connection with the custodial death of recovery agent Deepak Shukla in 2020.
The accused include Sub-Inspector Richa Sharma, then SHO of Division No. 5 police station; Assistant Sub-Inspectors Jaskaran Singh and Charanjit Singh; and constable Jugnu. While the case was initially registered against three officers, the court has now ordered that Jugnu also be named as an accused.
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The police personnel were earlier booked for culpable homicide, but Shukla’s family had consistently demanded that the case be treated as murder.
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Acting on the plea and the material on record, the court has now ordered charges under Sections 302 (murder), 166 and 166-A (public servant disobeying law), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
In its order, the court said there were sufficient grounds to proceed against the accused under Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Code after examining the evidence. The court order said, “After considering the evidence on record and applying judicial mind, this court is satisfied that there exists sufficient ground under section 204 CrPC to proceed against the accused under sections 302, 166, 166-A, read with section 34 IPC.”
The court relied on findings from a judicial inquiry conducted by Judicial Magistrate First Class Palwinder Singh.
The inquiry report noted that Shukla’s death occurred under “mysterious circumstances” and indicated the need for a detailed probe into the role of the police officials involved.
Testimony from Dr Gurbinder Kaur, Senior Medical Officer at Jagraon, played a key role in the court’s decision.
She told the court that seven injuries were found on Shukla’s body, all sustained before death. The injuries had affected vital organs, including the lungs, kidneys and heart, ultimately leading to his death. The medical report also noted that he had no prior chronic illness.
According to the family, Shukla was picked up by police on February 15, 2020, in connection with a vehicle theft case and kept in illegal custody for nearly a week. They allege he was produced in court only on February 22, when police obtained a two-day remand.
The family has also alleged that Shukla’s wife, Preeti, was detained illegally for a day and released only after a payment of Rs. 25,000, against an alleged demand of Rs. 1.25 lakh by the police.
They further claimed that Shukla was brutally beaten in custody over several days.
After being sent to judicial custody on February 24, the family alleged that Shukla remained with the police for another day before being lodged in Ludhiana Central Jail on February 25.
His father, Vinod Shukla, met him the next day and found him in a critical condition, with visible injuries, bleeding and on IV support. According to the family, Shukla told them he had been assaulted repeatedly in custody.
He collapsed later that night and died within hours.
Following his death, the family staged protests demanding action against the police personnel. When no immediate case was registered, they approached the court.
In August 2020, acting on court directions, police registered a case against three of the officers for illegal detention and related offences. The accused were suspended for a period but later reinstated.
With the latest order, the case will now proceed with murder charges against all four accused officials.
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