Eight Policemen, Including Shimla IG Zahoor Haider Zaidi, Convicted in Custodial Murder of Nepali Youth

In a landmark ruling, a special CBI court in Chandigarh has convicted eight police personnel in the custodial death of Nepali youth Suraj, who was accused in the 2017 Gudiya rape and murder case in Kotkhai, near Shimla. The convicts include Shimla IG Zahoor Haider Zaidi, former DSP Manoj Joshi, former SHO Rajinder Singh, and several other police officers. The court has set January 27 for sentencing.

The case dates back to July 2017 when a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Kotkhai went missing. Two days later, her body was found in a forest, leading to the arrest of five suspects, including Suraj. Suraj, who was taken into police custody on charges of rape and murder, died on July 18, 2017, under suspicious circumstances in the Kotkhai police station.

A subsequent investigation by the CBI revealed that Suraj had been subjected to brutal torture while in custody, leading to his death. This prompted the CBI to file charges against the eight police personnel, including Zaidi, under serious criminal sections, including murder (Section 302) and destruction of evidence (Section 201).

The case, initially handled by the Shimla court, was transferred to Chandigarh by the Supreme Court for a fair trial. The CBI court acquitted former Shimla SP DW Negi due to lack of evidence but found the remaining eight guilty. Following the conviction, the accused policemen were immediately taken into custody and sent to jail, where they had previously been on bail.

The decision on sentencing will be announced on January 27. The trial, which has been ongoing in the special CBI court in Chandigarh since 2017, underscores the deepening scrutiny of police actions in custodial deaths and the quest for justice for Suraj and the victim in the Gudiya case.