/The Punjab State and Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission (PSCHRC) has reopened the case of Bramhjit Singh Bawas mysterious death, directing a fresh inquiry and issuing a show cause notice to the investigating ASI for serious procedural lapses. PSHRC chairperson Justice Sant Parkash, while acting on a complaint by the victims father, observed that the initial investigation was marred by critical omissions, including the failure to collect CCTV footage and reliance on unverified claims, potentially undermining the integrity of a case involving allegations of murder.   The deceaseds father, Maninder Singh Bawa, had alleged that his son was murdered by an acquaintance, Mr Tanwar, under suspicious circumstances following a late-night meeting on June 16, 2024. The next morning, Bramhjit was found dead in his car in a roadside ditch.   Highlighting serious deficiencies in the original investigation, the Commission noted that the Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) at Police Station Mullanpur Garibdass failed to retrieve and examine CCTV footage from the Mullanpur-Shimla Toll Plaza, which could have helped reconstruct the critical timeline. Moreover, the ASIs report cited intoxication as a contributing factor in the death — a claim unsubstantiated by any forensic or medical report.   The Commission found that witness accounts were inconsistent and unsupported by technical evidence, while mechanical inspection reports revealed no indication of a vehicle collision, contradicting earlier assumptions. Most damning, however, was the omission of verifiable electronic evidence — such as call data records and surveillance footage — that the complainant claimed could implicate Mr Tanwar.   In its April 30, 2025 inquiry report, submitted by the Commissions Additional Inspector General (AIG), investigators established that Bramhjit and Tanwar had met at Omex Market around 10:30-11:00 pm. They departed separately around 1 am. Bramhjits vehicle was later discovered crashed, and he was declared dead at the scene.   Calling the initial police proceedings under Section 174 CrPC inadequate for the gravity of the case, Justice Sant Parkash emphasized that the possibility of foul play could not be ruled out without a thorough, evidence-driven investigation.   The Commission has now recommended that the SAS Nagar senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) appoint a Gazetted Officer to reinvestigate the case, particularly focusing on the overlooked CCTV footage and discrepancies in Tanwars version of events. The Commission has also issued a show cause notice to the ASI, demanding his personal appearance before the panel on July 3, 2025 — the next date of hearing — to explain his investigative failures and justify why departmental action should not be initiated against him.  

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