A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Chandigarh has convicted Himachal Pradesh Inspector General of Police Zahur Haider Zaidi along with seven other police officers in connection with the custodial death of a suspect involved in the gang rape and murder of a 16-year-old schoolgirl in Kotkhai, Himachal Pradesh.
Additional District and Session Judge-cum-Special CBI Judge Alka Malik found all eight accused guilty, including IGP Zahur Haider Zaidi, then Deputy Superintendent of Police Manoj Joshi, Sub-Inspector Rajinder Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector Deep Chand Sharma, and officers Mohan Lal, Surat Singh, Rafee Mohammad, and Ranit Sateta.
The case dates back to July 4, 2017, when a 16-year-old girl went missing from Kotkhai near Shimla, and her body was discovered in a forest area two days later. The post-mortem confirmed that she was raped and murdered, prompting the registration of a case. Following public outrage, a Special Investigating Team (SIT) led by Zaidi was formed by the state government on July 13, 2017.
Zaidi, an IPS officer from the 1994 batch, received the President’s Police Medal for meritorious service in 2010.
