Jodhpur: Hearing a case of alleged custodial torture, Rajasthan high court‘s principal seat at Jodhpur ordered immediate removal of the station head officer (SHO) of a police station in Pratapgarh and also directed that he not be assigned any duty. After examining photographs showing injuries on the victim’s body, a single judge bench of Justice Farjand Ali Tuesday said that, prima facie, it amounted to “treatment like that meted out to animals” and “custodial torture”.Listing the matter for next hearing on Jan 23, the court summoned the additional SP along with the FIR case diary and also sought a detailed affidavit from the superintendent of police of Pratapgarh explaining why the investigation should not be handed over to an independent agency or the CBI.The court directed the SP to personally ensure there was no tampering with the CCTV footage, call records, or the case diary, and barred the accused officer from accessing the case diary or attempting to contact the complainant.The petitioner, Shakir Sheikh, stated in court that on the night of Dec 31, 2025, and Jan 1, 2026, police officer Gulab Singh and his team forcibly entered his house, assaulted his father and another person, and looted valuable belongings.He further alleged that police broke his arms and legs and planted a mobile phone in his pocket to falsely implicate him by linking the mobile phone to a 4-year-old NDPS case. During the hearing, when photographs of the injured Sheikh were presented before the court, the judge expressed strong concern and directed the SP to immediately remove the accused SHO from the police station.“Until further orders, he will not perform any duty in that police circle and will not be allowed to influence the investigation,” the order said, also directing the IGP to personally look into the matter.
