In the latest development in the custodial death of 33-year-old Biren Kumar Kafley in November last year, the police inquiry team has found procedural lapses, leading to disciplinary action. Eight police officers and personnel will face disciplinary actions such as severe final warning, loss of seniority, reprimands, and a withheld promotion.
The disciplinary action follows an internal review into the death of the 33-year-old man while in custody.
The inquiry report found that he attempted to escape from police custody by jumping out of the moving police van, where he succumbed to his head injuries.
The inquiry team then concluded that there were three procedural lapses.
One of the lapses includes the condition of the police van that was used to transport the deceased, which was not properly maintained.
Police said officers were required to ensure the vehicle was in proper working condition before it was deployed.
The other lapses involved escort procedures and handcuffing.
Police said that the escorting officer should have been seated at the back of the van with the detainee during the return to detention, but instead sat in the front.
Police said the detainee should have been handcuffed with his hands behind his back, but Biren was handcuffed in the front.
Among those penalised is a Superintendent, SP, who has been issued a severe final warning for overall operational shortcomings during the period.
Meanwhile, an Officer Commanding, OC, has been penalised with a loss of seniority of six months. This means the OC will be junior to batchmates by six months, with monetary and financial losses, throughout the officer’s service.
Likewise, an Investigating Officer has been issued with the loss of seniority of one year.
Two police drivers were also held accountable through disciplinary action.
One of them who operated the van at the time was issued a one-year reprimand. The other driver, who was the designated driver for that van, failed to check the vehicle condition and was issued a six-month reprimand.
The escorting officer was issued a one-year reprimand and had his promotion withheld after choosing to sit in the front with the driver, rather than in the rear of the van with Biren during transport. In addition, one police personnel was issued a one-year reprimand for failing to instruct those on duty to follow adequate safety measures.
Another police responsible for handcuffing Biren received a six-month reprimand for improper handcuffing during transport.
Police said during the reprimand period, the individuals will not receive any training or promotion.
They have been given ten days to appeal to the Chief of Police starting today if they are dissatisfied with the disciplinary action imposed by the Royal Bhutan Police’s Human Resource Committee.
However, the deceased’s family say that Biren was the only son and the sole breadwinner, and his death has left the family struggling and uncertain about the future.
Chatra Bdr Kafley, Father of Deceased said, “While the police’s drug division has imposed several demotions on the officers after their investigation, we are just farmers and don’t know much about it. We cannot say whether justice has been served or not. My only son has died.”
The police said the disciplinary action is meant to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future, besides their mandate.
Tashi Dekar
