Copyright tribuneindia
The Haryana Police have booked former Punjab DGP (Human Rights) Mohammad Mustafa, and his wife and former state minister Razia Sultana for alleged murder of their son Aqil Akhtar. The victim’s wife and sister have also been named in the FIR.Aqil, 35, was found dead at his residence in Sector 4, Mansa Devi Complex (MDC), Panchkula, on October 16.The four have been booked under Sections 103 (1) (murder) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the complaint of Malerkotla resident Shamshudeen Chaudhary.Guilt not proven“The registration of an FIR does not mean that someone’s guilt has been proven. The investigation will bring out the truth.” — Mohammad Mustafa, Punjab ex-DGPIn his complaint, submitted on October 17, Chaudhary claimed that Akhtar had died under “mysterious circumstances”, and that there was a “simmering discontent between the deceased and his family”. He referred to an August 27 viral video that Aqil had posted on the social media levelling serious allegations against his father and own wife.“In that video, Aqil stated that he had discovered illicit relations between his father and his own wife, and further mentioned that his entire family, including mother and sister, were conspiring to kill him or to implicate him in a false case. He clearly expressed his apprehension that his life was in danger and that he might be killed by them,” Chaudhary claimed.“Now, the news of his sudden death has confirmed his apprehensions. It is clearly a case of foul play. In view of his prior video statement and the serious allegations made therein, the cause of death requires a thorough, fair, and impartial investigation,” the complaint said.Chaudhary demanded examination of Aqil’s “social media video, digital evidence, call records, post-mortem report, and possible involvement of any family members or associates”.The former Punjab DGP, in a statement, said: “The registration of an FIR does not mean that someone’s guilt has been proven. The investigation will bring out the truth.” He added that the “family has been devastated by the tragic loss of the young son, but this does not mean we cannot confront the vile actions of those with dirty politics and cheap mindset.”Panchkula DCP Srishti Gupta said following Aqil’s death on October 16, the family members had informed the police, and their statement was recorded. “As no foul play was initially suspected, the post-mortem examination was conducted, and the body was handed over to the family for last rites,” she said.“Subsequently, certain social media posts and videos surfaced, purportedly made by the deceased prior to his death, alleging personal disputes and apprehensions about threats to his life,” she said, adding a complaint was received alleging foul play.In view of the complaint and the contents of the social media posts, the FIR was registered on October 20, the DCP said, adding a special investigation team (SIT) had been constituted under the supervision of an ACP-rank officer to ensure a thorough, impartial, and evidence-based investigation. “The SIT will conduct a deep and scientific probe into all aspects surrounding the case,” she said.
