LUCKNOW: Mystery shrouded the death of a 22-year-old youth in Kasganj district after he was found hanging inside a police station on Tuesday.
Five cops have been suspended and a probe into the incident has been ordered.
Altaf, a labourer, was summoned to Kotwali police station for interrogation in an alleged elopement case of a minor Hindu girl. A resident of Nagla Syed area, Altaf’s body was found hanging inside the toilet of the police station.
Having set up an inquiry into the case, Kasganj SP BR Pramod suspended five policemen the SHO Virendra Singh, two sub-inspectors and two constables.
However, Altaf’s family accused the police of his ‘murder’ and held a protest outside the hospital where the autopsy was being conducted. The matter was resolved after senior police officials assured the family of strict action against the policemen if found guilty. The heavy police force was deployed to avoid any untoward incident, said the sources.
With the minor girl is still untraceable, the autopsy report of Altaf confirms his death due to hanging, said the police sources. According to the acting SHO of Kotwali police station, Ramesh Prasad, the minor girl from the Hindu family where Altaf was working as a labourer, went missing suddenly.
The girl’s father submitted a complaint against Altaf alleging the kidnapping and an FIR was registered against him under IPC Section 363 (kidnapping) and 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing a woman to compel her marriage).
According to Kasgnaj SP, BR Pramod, Altaf was called for questioning at the police station on Tuesday morning. During interrogation, he requested the police to go to the toilet and he was allowed. He was sent to the toilet located inside the lock-up of the police station. When Altaf did not return after a long time, the police went to inquire and found him hanging with his jacket inside the toilet.
When spotted by the cops, Altaf was unconscious and died during the treatment at the Community Health Centre (CHC) where he was rushed by the cops.
“Inquiry is underway into the death of Altaf. So far, no FIR has been lodged into the matter,” said Ramesh Prasad, the acting SHO of Kotwali police station.
However, according to Altaf’s father Chand Mia, a police team had gone to his house on Monday evening looking for Altaf. The cops asked him to send Altaf to the police station for questioning in a case. He claimed that following the directives, he sent his son to the police station and went to inquire about him at the police outpost but the cops turned him back.
“Now After 24 hours, the police say my son had hanged himself. I believe that the police were behind my son’s killing,” said Chand Mia.