The Haryana government has formally requested the Union government to transfer the investigation into the death of Aqil Akhtar, the son of former Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Mohammad Mustafa and his wife, former Punjab minister Razia Sultana, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The state government has made a formal reference, seeking the central agency’s intervention in this high-profile case. However, the probe will be handed over to the federal agency once the central government accepts the state government’s request to extend the powers and jurisdiction of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act to Haryana for this particular case, reported Hindustan Times.
Earlier reports indicated that Mohammad Mustafa, a retired 1985-batch IPS officer, is expected to join the ongoing police investigation on Monday, October 27. Mustafa confirmed that his family would cooperate with the probe. A senior Panchkula police officer associated with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) mentioned that a notice was issued to Mustafa on Wednesday, directing him to appear before investigators.
Aqil Akhtar, aged 35, was found unconscious at his Sector 4 residence in Panchkula on the night of October 16 and was declared dead upon arrival at the Civil Hospital in Sector 6. Initially, the family claimed it was a case of drug overdose, and the body was released after post-mortem for cremation at their native village in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
The case took a dramatic turn when Shamshudeen Chaudhary, a resident of Malerkotla and acquaintance of the family, lodged a complaint on October 17. He cited a purported social media post by Aqil in August, in which Aqil expressed a threat to his life and leveled serious allegations against his family. Chaudhary also shared a screenshot of a diary and filed a written complaint with the Panchkula police, Haryana Director General of Police, and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, demanding a fair and impartial probe.
Based on the contents of the social media posts, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Mansa Devi Complex police station on Monday. The FIR named Mustafa, his wife Razia Sultana, their daughter, and daughter-in-law (Aqil’s wife) under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The FIR stated that Aqil had discovered illicit relations between his father and his wife and claimed his mother and sister were also conspiring to kill him or implicate him in a false case. Aqil is survived by his wife, a five-year-old son, and a seven-year-old daughter.
To ensure a thorough, impartial, and evidence-based probe, a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted under the supervision of an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP)-rank officer. The SIT plans to examine the contents of the diary and mobile phone of the deceased.
In response to the FIR, Mohammad Mustafa expressed deep anguish over the allegations. He stated, “There is no greater pain for a father than losing his only son. This tragedy has awakened the soldier within me to stand against those with petty mindsets. No matter the mistakes a child makes, a father always shields them from the world. Yet, some have tried to exploit this situation for petty politics. I have no fear, for we have done nothing wrong. Have you ever heard of a father killing his own son?” Mustafa further added that his son had been battling drug addiction for nearly 18 years.
Photo Source: HT
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