In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested six police officers in Jammu and Kashmir following a Supreme Court order regarding the alleged custodial torture of a fellow police constable. The arrests, made on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, include a Deputy Superintendent of Police and an Inspector. Two civilians were also apprehended.
The case stems from an incident in 2023 when Constable Khursheed Ahmad Chohan, who was posted in Baramulla, was summoned for questioning related to a narcotics case. The Supreme Court took a strong stance, directing the CBI to register a First Information Report (FIR) concerning the "brutal and inhuman custodial torture" inflicted upon the constable. The court also mandated that the Union Territory administration provide ₹50 lakh in compensation to the victim.
The Supreme Court's decision on July 21, 2025, came after a thorough examination of the evidence, with Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noting the severity of the injuries sustained by Constable Chohan during his unlawful detention. The court highlighted the "complete mutilation of his genitalia, use of pepper/chilly powder and electric shocks on his genitalia" as particularly disturbing, describing them as "grave reminders of the inhuman torture meted out to him". The bench stated that the cumulative effect of the facts was deeply shocking to the conscience of the court. The court also said that the violation of Article 21 is not only evident but egregious.
In its FIR, the CBI named Deputy Superintendent of Police Aijaz Ahmad Naiko, Sub-Inspector Riyaz Ahmad, and four other J&K Police officials: Jahangir Ahmad, Imtiyaz Ahmad, Mohammed Younis, and Shakir Ahmad. These officials were posted at the Joint Interrogation Centre, Kupwara, at the time of the alleged incident. The constable was allegedly subjected to brutal and inhuman custodial torture over six days.
The Supreme Court also contested the police's claims that Chohan was summoned for questioning in connection with FIR No. 1 of 2023. The court pointed out that he was implicated in FIR No. 17 of 2023, which was registered six days later based on a co-accused's alleged disclosure. The court noted that this discrepancy exposed the fabricated nature of the case and conclusively established the illegal detention of the appellant from February 20, 2023, to February 26, 2023.
The court also refuted the Union Territory's theory of a suicide attempt, stating that the medical evidence conclusively established that the injuries were impossible to be self-inflicted. The court described the incident as one of the most barbaric instances of police atrocity, which the state was trying to defend and cover up.
