The Haryana Human Rights Commission has directed the Gurugram police commissioner to preserve and submit CCTV footage from two crime branch offices and a police station as part of an inquiry into allegations that a man was illegally detained for five days and subjected to custodial torture, resulting in his hospitalisation.Haryana rights body seeks CCTV clips in probe into ‘custodial torture’ caseIn its order, the commission directed the police commissioner to immediately procure, secure and preserve CCTV footage recorded between May 4 and May 9 from the Sector 40 crime branch unit, Bhondsi state crime branch and Civil Lines police station, where the victim was allegedly kept in custody during the period.Commission chairman Justice (retired) Lalit Batra also directed that the footage be protected from tampering and produced a week before the next hearing scheduled on July 27. The commission further directed the police commissioner to submit a report on allegations of custodial torture levelled by the victim’s wife against three police officers posted at the crime branch, Bhondsi.The commission observed that it had every reason to believe that authorities must have installed CCTV cameras in all police stations and crime branches, with recordings preserved for 18 months and no area left uncovered, in compliance with Supreme Court directions.The directions were issued after a woman alleged that her husband was illegally detained by crime branch officials from May 4 to May 9 in connection with a criminal case registered at Civil Lines police station on September 29, 2024. According to the complaint, he was not named as a suspect in the case.Quoting the allegations in its order, the commission noted that the man was kept in illegal custody at the Bhondsi and Sector 40 crime branch premises and Civil Lines police station and was subjected to brutal third-degree torture.The woman alleged that her husband was assaulted, stripped, coerced and threatened into signing blank papers. She further alleged that the torture caused severe physical and mental trauma, resulting in seizures while in custody, following which he was shifted to PGIMS, Rohtak, for treatment.Puneet Arora, the commission’s assistant registrar, said the panel had taken serious cognisance of the allegations. “Looking at multiple such complaints from across the state, the commission has sought a detailed report from the additional chief secretary of the Haryana home department on installation, maintenance, preservation and functioning of the CCTV camera system in all the police stations, crime branches, state crime branches, lock-ups and interrogation centres of police and its investigation department for taking up the matter of custodial torture incidents taking place statewide,” Arora said.Sandeep Turan, Gurugram police public relations officer, said all necessary steps would be taken to comply with the commission’s directions once the order is officially received.