Dehradun: Was slain youth tortured before 'encounter'?

Amid a growing controversy over the death of MBA graduate Ranbir Singh at the hands of the Uttarakhand police, his autopsy report on Sunday revealed that he was shot at close range and may have been tortured, and his family demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the killing.

The report showed that the body of 22-year-old Singh, who was gunned down by the police on Friday, bore 12 marks of bullets fired from close range and 27 other injuries, suggesting that he may have been tortured.

Singh hailed from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Uttaranchal Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank had on Saturday ordered a Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department probe into the incident. The police claimed that Singh was shot dead in an encounter after he fled with a sub-inspector's revolver.

Police sources on Sunday said a post-mortem conducted at Doon Hospital on Saturday revealed that Singh's body bore deep wounds and 12 bullet marks, which showed that he was fired at from close range, raising questions about the police's version of events.

The report also revealed that Singh might have been tortured before his death. This was corroborated by 28 injury marks found on his body, the sources said. However, Senior Superintendent of Police in Dehradun Amit Sinha, who was given the post-mortem report by hospital authorities, was not available for comment.

"We are not satisfied. We want a CBI investigation into it (the killing). If the government orders it, then it is okay. Otherwise, we will fight for it," Singh's father Ravinder Singh said.

The main opposition Congress also supported the demand for a CBI probe with Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee President Yashpal Arya claiming that the state level probe will be biased.