More than 50 days after the alleged custodial death of Border Security Force (BSF) Constable Jaswinder Singh, his family continues to wait for answers as the investigation remains plagued by delays, missing CCTV footage and a pending viscera report.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently intervened, directing authorities to preserve CCTV footage from both the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office where Jaswinder was detained and the private hospital where he was later admitted. The court acted on a petition filed by the deceased’s wife, Lovejit Kaur, which warned that crucial electronic evidence could be erased without immediate judicial intervention.
Jaswinder, 35, who was posted with the BSF’s 42 Battalion in Tripura, died under suspicious circumstances on March 30 after spending nearly three weeks in NCB custody regarding a drug-related case. A resident of Diwangarh, a border village in Jammu, he was reportedly apprehended by the NCB on March 3 while on leave and travelling with his mother for her medical treatment.
His family members alleged they were denied all access to him during his detention. They stated that Jaswinder managed to make a single distress call from the NCB office in Jammu, claiming he was being tortured by officials.
Suspicions intensified after a post-mortem examination reportedly revealed 34 ante-mortem injuries on his body, including trauma to his private parts. The autopsy report noted that approximately 25 of the injuries were inflicted two to four days before his death, while nine were sustained within 18 to 24 hours of his passing. However, the exact cause of death has been withheld pending the results of a chemical examiner’s report from Kharar.
During inquest proceedings before Judicial Magistrate Ankita Gupta, the private hospital’s management informed the court that the relevant CCTV footage was unavailable because their system only maintained a 10-day backup. Sarabjit Singh, the counsel representing the family, challenged this explanation, stating that the sudden disappearance of critical footage strongly suggests foul play.
The NCB denied all allegations of custodial torture, maintaining that Jaswinder suffered a cardiac episode on March 20 while being transported from Jammu to Tarn Taran via Amritsar. Following the backlash, NCB Investigating Officer Akash Rai and Assistant Director Amit Kumar (who is on deputation from the Army), were suspended pending an inquiry.
“The delay in forensic reports and the disappearance of electronic evidence have completely shaken our faith in the investigation,” Lovejit Kaur said.
