मिति २०७७ साल भाद्र १० मा कर्तव्य ज्यान मुद्दामा पक्राउ परेका रौतहटका १९ वर्षीय विजयराम महराको प्रहरी हिरासतमै बिरामी भएपछि उपचारका क्रममा मृत्यु भएको थियो। उपचारको क्रममा विजयले बोलेको एउटा भिडियोमा उनको शरीरभरी घाउचोट लागेको देखिन्थ्यो । तर प्रहरीले भने उनको मृत्यु मिर्गौलाले काम गर्न नसकेर भएको जनाएको थियो । विजयसँगै गिरफ्तारीमा परेका अर्का युवकले प्रहरी यातनाकै कारण मानसिक सन्तुलन गुमाएको परिवारले दाबी गरेको छ। यसअघि श्रावण ७ गते चितवन राष्ट्रिय निकुञ्जको सुरक्षार्थ खटिएका सुरक्षाकर्मीको कुटपिटबाट चितवनका २४ वर्षीय राजकुमार चेपाङको मृत्यु भएको थियोभने जेष्ठ २८ गते धनुषास्थित इलाका प्रहरी कार्यालय सबैलाको थुनुवा कक्षभित्र २३ वर्षीय शम्भु सदा मुसहरमृत भेटिएका थिए । प्रहरीले सदाले आत्महत्या गरेको बताए पनि परिवार र स्थानीय समुदायले प्रहरी यातनाको कारण उनको मृत्यु भएको भनी प्रदर्शन गरेका थिए ।
यी घटनाहरू प्रतिकात्मक मात्र हुन् । नेपालमा अनुसन्धानको क्रममा प्रहरी हिरासतमा मृत्यु हुनेहरूको सूची निकै लामो छ । हरेक महिनाजसो प्रहरी हिरासतमा रहस्यमय तरिकाले भएका मृत्युका समाचारहरू आउने गरेका छन् । यसरी हिरासतमा हुने अधिकांश मृत्युको घटनाको कारणमा आत्महत्या, दीर्घरोग, अचानकको बिमार आदि भएको प्रहरीको दाबी रहने गर्दछ । तर मृतकका आफन्तहरू भने प्रहरी यातनाको कारण यी मृत्युहरू भएको दाबी गर्दछन् ।
केही समयअघि भारतीय अनलाइन पोर्टल द वायरमाछापिएको एक प्रतिवेदनअनुसार पछिल्लो पाँच वर्षमा (जुन २०१५ देखि जुन २०२०) नेपालमा प्रहरी हिरासतमा १८ जना व्यक्तिहरूको मृत्यु भएको थियो । देशभरका हिरासतमा कति मानिसको मृत्यु भयो भन्नेबारे प्रहरी प्रधान कार्यालय, राष्ट्रिय मानवअधिकार आयोग, कारागार व्यवस्थापन विभाग, महान्यायाधिवक्ताको कार्यालयलगायत कुनै पनि निकायमा विश्वसनीय तथ्याङ्क रहेको देखिन्न । यसरी प्रहरी हिरासतमा हुने रहस्यमय मृत्युका घटनाहरूले नेपालको फौजदारी न्याय प्रणाली समस्याग्रस्त रहेको पुष्टी गर्दछ । सशस्त्र द्वन्द्वको समयमा हिरासतमा यातना दिने कार्य व्यापक थियो । द्वन्द्वको अन्त्य भएको १४ वर्ष बितिसक्दा र यातनालाई मुलुकी अपराध संहिता २०७४ ले अपराधीकरण गरेपनि गल्ती स्वीकार गर्न लगाउन न्यायिक सुनुवाइपूर्व यातना दिने तथा अन्य दुव्र्यवहार गर्ने परिपाटी नेपालमा व्याप्त रहेको छ ।
प्रहरी हिरासतमा भएका सबै मृत्युका घटनाहरू प्रहरीको दुर्व्यवहारका कारण भएका नहुन पनि सक्दछन् । ह्युमन राइट्स वाचका अनुसारविश्वभर हुने यस्ता घटना प्रायः यातना र दण्डहीनतासँग सम्बन्धित हुन्छन् । त्यस्तै एड्भोकेसी फोरमको प्रतिवेदन “राईज अफ टर्चर इन २०१८” मा संस्थाको वार्षिक कारागार अनुगमनका क्रममा २० प्रतिशतभन्दा बढी थुनुवा तथा कैदीहरूले आफूहरूमाथि कुनै न कुनै प्रकारको यातना हुने गरेको बताएको उल्लेख छ । यसरी प्रहरी हिरासतमा हुने यातना र मृत्युका अधिकांश घटनामा गरिब, दलित, मधेशीर अन्य अल्पसंख्यक समुदायका व्यक्तिहरू बढी हुने गरेको अध्ययनहरूले देखाएको छ । अहिलेको कानुनले हिरासतमा यातना दिने व्यक्तिलाई पाँच वर्षसम्म कैद वा रू. ५० हजारसम्म जरिवाना वा दुवै सजाय हुने व्यवस्था गरेको छ । तर आजका दिनसम्म पनि कसैलाई कारबाही गरिएको छैन । साथै पीडितले यातना दिने प्रहरीविरूद्ध उसकै कार्यालयमा उजुरी दिनुपर्ने बाध्यताका कारण पनि प्रभावकारी छानबिन र अभियोजन चुनौतीपूर्ण छ ।
नेपालको संविधानले महान्यायाधिवक्ताको कार्यालयलाई हिरासतमा हुने यस्ता घटना रोक्ने अधिकार प्रदान गरेको छ । राष्ट्रिय मानवअधिकार आयोगले पनि यस्ता घटनाहरूबारे अनुसन्धान गरी सिफारिस गर्ने संवैधानिक अधिकार प्राप्त गरेको छ । यद्यपि हिरासतमा हुने यस्ता घटनाहरू रोकिएका छैनन् ।
तसर्थ आउनुहोस् प्रहरी हिरासतमा भएका यस्ता घटनाहरूको निष्पक्ष, स्वतन्त्र र प्रभावकारी छानिबन गरी पीडकलाई जवाफदेही बनाउन र पीडितलाई न्याय सुनिश्चत गर्न तथा भोलिका दिनमा यस्ता घटनाहरूको पुनरावृत्ति हुन नदिन आवश्यक प्रवन्ध गर्न सम्माननीय प्रधानमन्त्री श्री केपी शर्मा ओलीसमक्ष माग गरौँ ।
Let’s demand an independent and impartial investigation into all cases of custodial deaths
On August 26, 2020, 19-year-old Bijaya Ram Mahara, a resident of Rautahat, who had been arrested on murder charges died while undergoing treatmentat a hospital in Birgunj. He had been taken to the city after falling ill in detention. A video recorded during his treatment which has since been made public showed Bijaya had wounds all over his body. The police, however, claimed that his death was due to kidney failure. Another youth who had been in detention with Bijaya is said to have lost his mental stability due to torture by the police, his family claims. Prior to this incident, on July 22, 2020, 24-year-old Raj Kumar Chepang died after being beaten up by a security personnelstationed inside Chitwan National Park and on June 10, 23-year-old Shambu Sada Musahar was found deadinside the detention facility at the Area Police Office in Dhanusha. According to the police, Sada died by suicide but his family and local community believe that he had been tortured and subsequently organized protests.
These are just a few emblematic cases. In Nepal, the list of individuals who have died in police custody while undergoing investigations is long. Nearly every month, there are news reports of deaths occurring inside police custody under mysterious circumstances. In majority of these cases, police claim that the death occurred either by suicide or due to a fatal disease and sudden sickness. But families believe that these deaths are the consequence of torture inflicted by the police on detainees.
According to a report published in the Indian news outlet The Wirea few months ago, 18 detainees have died in police custody between June 2015 to June 2020. There’s no reliable data on the actual number of deaths that have taken place in police custody at any of the concerned agencies including with the Police Headquarters, National Human Rights Commission, Department of Prison Management, and the Office of the Attorney General. The incidents of custodial deaths point to an existing problem in the Nepali criminal justice system. There was widespread use of torture in detention during the armed conflict, but even after 14 years since the conflict ended and the 2017 Criminal Code criminalized torture, the practice of inflicting torture upon detainees in order to extract confessions and other forms of misbehavior continues.
All deaths taking place in police custody may not always be the result of the ill-treatment by police. According to Human Rights Watch, such incidents taking place at a global level are primarily related to torture and impunity. Similarly, as per Advocacy Forum’s report “Rise of Torture in 2018”, more than 20% of the inmates and those in custody reported having faced some form of torture. Research also shows that in these cases of custodial deaths and torture, victims usually belong to the poor, Dalit, Madhesior other minority groups. As per the prevailing law any person guilty of torturing someone in custody would be punished with five years’ imprisonment or fine up to rupees fifty thousand or both; however, no individual has been prosecuted under this law till date. Additionally, because of the fact that the victim of torture has to file a case against the police officer inflicting torture in his own office, the effective investigation and prosecution on these cases have been even more challenging.
The Constitution of Nepal confers the power to prevent such incidents to the Office of the Attorney General. The National Human Rights Commission has also been empowered by the Constitution to investigate and make recommendations on such incidents. Unfortunately, custodial death and torture have not come to an end. Therefore, let’s come together and demand with Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal Mr. K.P Sharma Oli that he initiate necessary arrangement to ensure victims of torture and custodial deaths are served justice while the guilty are held accountable through an impartial and effective investigation, and to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.