Kangra (Sunil Chadha)
Former Himachal Pradesh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zahur Haider Zaidi has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the custodial death of 29-year-old Suraj Singh, who was falsely implicated in the 2017 Kotkhai rape and murder case.
The logbook of Zaidi’s official vehicle became a key piece of evidence that exposed the IPS officer’s false claims during the investigation.
Nepal-origin suspect was tortured to death in custody
On the night of July 18, 2017, Nepal-origin Suraj was brutally beaten to death inside the Kotkhai police station lockup.
Zaidi, who led the Himachal Pradesh Police special investigation team (SIT) at the time, denied being present in Kotkhai during the incident. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) uncovered that the logbook of Zaidi’s government vehicle recorded his presence at the police station that night.
IGP Zaidi tried to shift blame but to no avail
While Zaidi attempted to shift blame, claiming that his driver had filled out the logbook without his knowledge, the CBI’s investigation and court proceedings dismantled his defence.
The CBI argued that Zaidi and his team violated their duties and engaged in acts of torture that led to Suraj’s death.
The CBI court noted that such custodial crimes undermined public trust in law enforcement and require strict action. Along with Zaidi, seven other police officers were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The custodial death case emerged during the investigation into the gruesome gang rape and murder of a minor girl, known as the “Gudiya case”, which had triggered widespread public outrage.
Though a convict, Neelu, is serving a life sentence for the rape and murder, questions about the initial mishandling of the investigation remain.
