Uttarakhand HC Orders SIT Probe into Faheem's 2024 Death Case

Nainital, Jun 19 (PTI) — The Uttarakhand High Court has called for an SIT probe into the death of Faheem, who succumbed to a gunshot wound during the Banbhoolpura riots in Haldwani, February 2024. A division bench consisting of Chief Justice Guhanathan Narendar and Justice Alok Mehra has also demanded the removal of Neeraj Bhakuni, the investigating officer, from his district post due to inadequacies in the investigation.

The court’s actions respond to a public interest litigation (PIL) demanding a CBI probe, filed by Faheem’s brother, Parvez, on June 18. The petition claims that, despite directives from the chief judicial magistrate's (CJM) court, no substantial investigation took place.

According to the PIL, the CJM of Nainital had instructed the police on May 6, 2024, to file a case against unnamed individuals, investigate the matter, and provide a report to the court. However, the police allegedly neglected this directive, failing to conduct any investigation or register an FIR.

Faheem was killed by a gunshot during the violence on February 8, 2024, but it was alleged that his death was at the hands of unknown perpetrators rather than the riot itself. Despite numerous complaints to authorities, no investigation ensued.

Previously, the high court criticized the manner in which the investigation was conducted. The court remarked that even the term "shocking" fails to capture the nature of the police report, suggesting it might be unprecedented for a single officer to act defensively and judicially in an investigation.

The investigating officer was said to have submitted the final report independently, determining the case’s outcome. It was described as possibly the "only case in the country" where the officer disregarded eyewitness accounts and instead relied on statements from non-eyewitnesses to close the case.

The high court has decided to keep a watchful eye on the proceedings moving forward.