Bishada in Uttar Pradesh is simmering with rage once again as angry villagers refused to cremate the body of 22-year-old Ravi Sisodia, one of the 15 accused in the Dadri lynching case. Ravi alias Robin — under judicial custody — died at lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital in Delhi on Tuesday evening of kidney and respiratory failure as claimed by officials.
Since his death, angry villagers have intensified their protest against jailer Bheem Singh Mukund accusing that Ravi lodged in luksar jail was beaten to death. They have demanded CBI probe in this incident. Police officials said the autopsy report is expected to come in next three days.
The body was brought to the village of the deceased on Thursday. Hundreds of people converged around the body and atmosphere was surcharged, said eyewitnesses. Anticipating trouble, district administration has deployed a large posse of armed police personnel.
Villagers draped his coffin in a tricolour, saying he had been martyred protecting “Hindu values”. Tensions rose as the body reached the village, as villagers outrightly rejected Ravi’s death report claiming he was murdered.
Seeing the body draped in a tricolour, policemen and administration officials, however, preferred to remain mum fearing that objections to it might spark violence.
“Villagers demanded Rs1 crore for deceased’s family, arrest of Akhlaq’s brother Jaan Mohammad in a cow slaughter case and an FIR against the jailer. Villagers told administration they will not cremate the body till their demands are met,” said Sanjay Rana, BJP leader and father of one of the accused.
BJP MlA Suresh Rana, along with local leaders, visited the village to pay tribute to the family. It was also revealed that Ram Sharan, the lawyer of the accused claimed that he had filed an application in the district court informing it that Ravi was suffering from high fever, joints pain and symptoms of chikungunya.
However, Ravi’s brother Vicky, claimed he was “assaulted by police in jail due to which he sustained injuries. Unlike, what police is saying, he was not suffering from any fever, he said.
To pacify angry villagers, Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate NP Singh said a judicial enquiry has been initiated, adding that the Chief Judicial Magistrate is conducting it. Also, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced Rs10 lakh compensation to the deceased Ravi’s wife Pooja.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Government and demanded reply from district administration. The postmortem was conducted on Wednesday in Delhi under the supervision of a Metropolitan Magistrate from a local court.