SSP, Varanasi seeks more time to search for missing BHU student; says erring police officers had been punished

The Allahabad High Court Tuesday was informed that a special team had already been constituted and efforts were on to search for the missing Banaras Hindu University (BHU) student Shiv Kumar Trivedi who was allegedly picked up by certain police personnel in February and has since been missing.

Appearing before a division bench of Justices Pritinker Diwaker and Subhash Chandra Sharma, the SSP Varanasi, Amit Pathak also informed the Court that suitable departmental action had also been taken against erring officers.

Pathak sought some more time so that further efforts could be made to look for the missing person.

The Court fixed October 10 as the next date of hearing and asked that a responsible officer on behalf of the S.S.P, Varanasi be present to apprise the Court about the progress in the investigation.

Earlier the High Court had come down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh Police for filing a ‘Vague affidavit’ instead of placing before it the complete details of the missing student.

The High Court had then directed the SSP Varanasi to file his personal affidavit about all the facts relating to the missing boy and the subsequent steps taken by the police.

SSP was also asked to remain present in the Court.

The High Court had taken cognisance on August 19 of a letter addressed to its Chief Justice alleging that a student of BHU who was allegedly picked up by certain police personnel has been missing since February 16, 2020.

Advocate Saurabh Tiwari who is also an alumnus of BHU had written to the Chief Justice asserting that Shiv Kumar Trivedi was picked up by certain police personnel from the M.P. Theatre ground, BHU and taken to Police Station Lanka, District Varanasi.

A division bench of the Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Samit Gopal had treated the letter as a petition in the nature of a habeas corpus and issued notice to the District Magistrate of Varanasi, Senior Superintendent of Police, Varanasi, and Station House Officer, Police Station Lanka.

Read the Order

http://theleaflet.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Allahabad-HC_Missing-BHU-Student-Case.pdf