LUCKNOW: Four police personnel were suspended in Jhansi after a man lost his life while trying to escape the officers by jumping into a pond. The incident took place when officers arrived to catch gamblers in Khailar village under Babina police station area.
Sources said the man swam across to the other side of the pond but, when police reached there too, he turned back. According to villagers, he kept moving around in the pond for nearly 20 minutes to avoid the police. After a while, he became exhausted, lost his breath, and drowned. Villagers searched for him but failed to find him.
Angry over the incident, residents blocked the Jhansi–Lalitpur highway for about two hours. Police officers rushed to the spot, and the blockade was lifted only after assurances of action.
Consequently, Jhansi SSP suspended four policemen, including the in-charge of the BHEL outpost. About 14 hours later, around 5 am on Tuesday, the man’s body was finally recovered and sent for a post-mortem.
The deceased was identified as Ravindra Joshi, 42, who had been grazing his cattle near the Amrit Sarovar pond on Monday afternoon. At the same time, some men were gambling in the forest near the pond. Acting on a tip-off, BHEL outpost in-charge Nitish Kumar, S-I Kailash Chand, and constables Lavkush Pandey and Dharmendra reached the spot around 3 pm.
As soon as the gamblers saw the police, they ran. Ravindra also panicked on seeing the cops and rushed towards the pond, jumping into it.Villagers said the police spotted him in the water and tried to intercept him. Each time he swam toward the shore, the policemen blocked his way, forcing him back into the pond.
Local sources added that Ravindra managed to reach the edge three times but was pushed back each time by the police presence. Soon, he became tired and drowned in the deeper waters. After he went under, police called in local divers for help.
Village divers searched until evening but could not find him, leading villagers to stage a protest by blocking the highway. SP City Gyanendra Kumar tried to pacify the protesters, but they demanded strict action against the BHEL outpost in charge and others present. The protest ended only after assurances of action.
Villagers insisted Ravindra’s life could have been saved if the police had not encircled him. They said he did not come out due to fear of the cops. They claimed that since Ravindra knew how to swim, he must have intended to cross the pond and escape.