Five policemen were suspended in Kansganj in Uttar Pradesh following the death of a 22-year-old man in police custody. The young man, who was accused of eloping with a girl, was allegedly subjected to third-degree torture in custody after which he allegedly committed suicide inside a police station on Tuesday.
The deceased identified as Altaf was brought to the police station on Tuesday for questioning.
Altaf’s family members claimed he was subject to torture by the cops forcing him to end his own life. Altaf’s father Chand Miyan said, “I handed over my son to the police on Monday evening. Barely 24 hours later I was informed that he had hanged himself.”
District Police Chief Rohan Pramod Bothre claimed the man sought permission to go to the toilet at the police station. As he did not return the cops went inside and found him hanging, said police,
adding that the man was wearing a jacket having a hood with a string attached to it. He made a noose with the string and hanged himself from the pipe, said police.
Later, the man was brought out of the washroom unconscious and taken to the hospital where he died within 5-10 minutes, police said.
Soon after the incident, the SP suspended five police personnel, including the inspector. He claimed that the primary probe revealed negligence on the part of five police personnel, following which action was taken against them.
Chand Miyan, however, demanded a case be registered against the erring policemen.
Sources said kin also raised questions over the police’s theory that Altaf had hanged himself using the string of his hoodie citing that the pipe, from which, the police said Altaf hanged himself, is merely two feet from the ground.
The kin said there was only one pipe (the water outlet) in the washroom. Moreover, the CCTV camera footage from the police station has also not been put forth for investigation yet.