The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Thursday issued a notice to the CBI following the suicide by former bureaucrat B.K. Bansal, his wife and their two children.
The commission has also sought a report on the action taken in the matter.
DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal has also threatened legal action against the central probe agency if it fails to furnish the details of the case within 48 hours.
"We are not saying whether Bansal was corrupt or not. But the fact that his entire family committed suicide is very sad. We have issued a notice to the CBI Director to ask whether he is going to take action against the (erring) officials and file an FIR," Maliwal said.
The notice reads, “Prima facie, this appears to be a shocking instance of alleged victimisation and abetment of suicide of the family of an accused. The Delhi Commission for Women is deeply concerned about the same and has taken up the case of the alleged torture and suicide of the wife and daughter of Mr. Bansal.”
According to DCW officials, the women’s panel has also sought details, demanding transparency due to the involvement of the senior officials in the case.
“Since the accused officers in the case are high ranking officers of CBI and the name of a senior politician is also being alleged, the DCW has demanded the list of steps which have been undertaken by CBI to ensure transparency and independence of probe into the allegations of Bansal,” said a senior DCW official.
The official added that the women’s panel sought details of whether an FIR for abetment of suicide and other relevant provisions of law has been filed against those named in the suicide note. “We have also asked the CBI of the possibility of conducting narco-tests on all those named in the suicide note is being explored,” the official added.
The notice comes two days after Bansal along with his son Yogesh, committed suicide at their East Delhi residence on Tuesday. Bansal was a former Director General (DG) in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and was being probed by CBI in a graft case.
In a detailed suicide note which Bansal left behind, he had named senior DIG officer Sanjeev Gautam, along with two female officers and another officer, who he alleged had played a pivotal role in torturing his family. It also alleged that Gautam also dropped the name of a top BJP leader to intimidate him during questioning.
Bansal's wife Satyabala and daughter Neha had also committed suicide on July 19 soon after his arrest. In his suicide note, Bansal had written, "On July 18 and 19, 2016 two CBI female officers, named Amrita Kaur and Rekha Sangwan, slapped my wife, scratched her and then abused her. DIG Gautam later asked one of the lady officers to torture my wife and daughter to an extent that both of them were just left to die."
However, following allegations, the CBI had issued a statement claiming that an internal probe into the matter has been initiated."We have examined the matter and decided to probe the allegations. If any violation is established during the probe, strict action will be taken against the CBI officials concerned. The competent court will be informed,” read a media statement.
