Chandigarh, Oct. 1 -- A constable, who was a key prosecution witness in the 2017 Kotkhai custodial death case, has sought witness protection, a stay on his suspension and transfer of all inquiries concerning him outside Himachal Pradesh, alleging harassment and threats following his testimony against police personnel convicted in the case. Constable Dinesh Kumar submitted an application before the member secretary, competent authority, Chandigarh Witness Protection Scheme, 2024, seeking Category-A protection. Kumar was posted at Kotkhai police station on July 18, 2017, when Suraj Singh, one of the suspects arrested in connection with the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl, died in police custody. Kumar told the CBI court in Chandigarh that he had given a truthful statement in the case. In his application, Kumar claimed that after his testimony, he faced repeated transfers and harassment in service. He alleged that he was transferred five times within one and a half months, purportedly on verbal orders and without written transfer orders. He also challenged his suspension, claiming it was based on a complaint allegedly made by him at Lok Bhavan. Kumar said he had not lodged any such complaint and had only made a humanitarian call seeking assistance as his disabled son was facing difficulties because of his repeated transfers. Kumar alleged that the DGP's office treated the call as a complaint and subsequently suspended him. He further alleged that he was called to the SSP's chamber on June 9, 2026, and was threatened. The constable said he did not have confidence that an inquiry conducted by an officer appointed by the Himachal Pradesh DGP would be impartial. He has therefore sought that the inquiries be handed over to an authority outside the state police, suggesting the CBI, Chandigarh Police, a retired district judge or a special investigation team constituted by the high court. The plea also seeks a stay on his suspension and Category-A protection under the Chandigarh Witness Protection Scheme. The case dates back to July 2017, when a 16-year-old girl went missing from Kotkhai on July 4, and her body was recovered from a forest area two days later. Amid public outrage, a special investigation team headed by then IGP Zahur Haider Zaidi was constituted. The SIT arrested six persons in connection with the case, including Suraj Singh. Suraj died at the Kotkhai police station on the night of July 18, 2017. The Himachal Pradesh high court subsequently handed over the investigation into both cases to the CBI. The Supreme Court later transferred the custodial death trial from Shimla to the CBI court in Chandigarh in 2019. In January 2025, the CBI court convicted Zaidi and seven other police personnel and sentenced them to life imprisonment for Suraj's custodial death. Former Shimla SP DW Negi was acquitted....