E/CN.4/1996/35/Add.1 page 56 officer of the level of additional commissioner of police and departmental action against the police official involved had been initiated. A sum of Rs 100,000 had been paid to the father of Suresh Rajesh. 287. Babula Das, a resident of Bharatpur village, Orissa, and a member of a scheduled caste, was reportedly arrested on 27 April 1994 on theft charges and taken to Khandagiri police station. He was allegedly tortured, including by means of electric shocks, and subsequently died. The inspector in charge of the police station and another officer were reportedly suspended in connection with the incident. 288. Balwinder Singh, a resident of Khanowal village, Punjab, was reportedly arrested on 3 January 1994 by the SHO of Gurdaspur police station and detained at the station for 21 days, even though no case had been registered against him. He was allegedly tortured to death. On 21 January the police brought his body to the village and allegedly cremated it under security. 289. Amarjit Singh, a resident of Punjab, who had gone to Civil Lines police stations on 15 February 1994, was transferred in a semi-conscious state from the station to the hospital, where he died. A post-mortem reportedly found prima facie evidence of torture marks on his body. 290. The Government replied that the post-mortem had revealed that the cause of the death of Amarjit Singh was aluminum phosphide intake. There were also injuries on the body which were ante-mortem in nature. The death was due to poisoning and an inquiry had found that no police personnel were responsible. 291. Mahiman Kaushik, a resident of Rajasthan, was allegedly beaten unconscious with sticks on 16 July 1994 by an assistant subdirector and two constables from Atalbandh police station. He died on the way to hospital. A post-mortem revealed 31 wounds on his body. Three officers who had been suspended and arrested in connection with the incident were reportedly released on bail. 292. The Government indicated that a charge-sheet had been filed in court on 15 March 1995 against an assistant subinspector and two constables, who had been found prima facie guilty of several charges in the case of Mahiman Kaushik, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. 293. Shankar Lal Soni, a resident of Rajasthan, was summoned to the police station in Kishangarh, where he was allegedly beaten severely. He was released on 16 July 1994, after his physical condition had deteriorated. He died in hospital on 28 July, one day after being discharged. His death was said to have been caused by damage to his urinary tract. An investigation was being undertaken by a deputy superintendent of police. 294. The Government stated that a post-mortem report had revealed that there were no marks of external injuries to Shankar Lal Soni and that his death was due to pulmonary oedema and shock. An investigation by the state CID had found the allegations of torture to be unfounded and baseless. 295. Rajesh Singhal, a resident of Rajasthan, was reportedly arrested by railway police on 19 August 1994, following a complaint by a group of