Taking suo-motu action on reports in two local dailies regarding the arrest of one Raziuddin (24) and the alleged torture that caused his death, the commission recently issued notice to the police commissioner seeking the police version of the incident within four weeks, NHRC sources told UNI today.

The reports were based on investigations by the Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), a human rights organisation, which alleged that Raziuddin was arrested on a false complaint by Crime Branch personnel, who tortured him in custody.

Raziuddin, who was arrested on January 19 in connection with an extortion case, died in jail under mysterious circumstances on the intervening night of April 29 and 30. It was stated that he had committed ``suicide'' by hanging himself from alow door and an electric wire was found tied round his neck.

The PUDR had said, ``The courts, through their apathy, refused bail to Raziuddin without examining the evidence placed before them. This resulted in 100 days' wrongful detention of Raziuddin.'' Police had arrested Raziuddin based on a complaint of factory owner Ram Bhajan Kushwaha, who alleged he had received threats that his son would be killed unless he paid Rs 5 lakh.

The complaint said that on the pretext of handling the problem, Raziuddin, who was a regular visitor to his house, had collected Rs 40,000 in four instalments. He was ``apprehended'' on January 19, 1999 by the Crime Branch while accepting another instalment from Ram Bhajan at his house.

However, the PUDR investigation revealed that Raziuddin, who gave tuitions to Ram Bhajan's children, had allegedly developed a relationship with Ram Bhajan's daughter. When Ram Bhajan got to know of this, he got his daughter married last year. However, the lovers reportedly continued tomeet.

According to the letters Raizuddin wrote to his mother from Tihar jail, Ram Bhajan had called him on January 19 and when he reached his house, six policemen, who were not in uniform, started beating him up. Later, he was taken to the anti-extortion cell of the Crime Branch at R K Puram, where he was thrashed so badly that he lost consciousness. When his family visited him at the police lock-up, his face and hands were swollen and he was bleeding from the nose, the PUDR said.

According to the PUDR, although an electric wire was found tied around Raizuddin's neck, his eyes and mouth were shut, which was not normal in case of strangulation. It said though the post-mortem was conducted five days after the death, the report was awaited.

Alleging that the body also bore several injury marks, the PUDR has demanded that the investigation of the case should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation and immediate action be taken against the Crime Branch personnel responsible for torturingRaziuddin.

The PUDR said exemplary compensation should be given to Raziuddin's family for his implication in a false case, torture in police custody, wrongful detention and death in judicial custody.