GORAKHPUR: A case of murder has been registered against six policemen in connection with the death of the Kanpur-based businessman here, officials said on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath talked to the victim's wife, Meenakshi Gupta, on Tuesday night and extended his condolences while the state government announced Rs 10 lakh as financial assistance for the family.
Thirty-six-year-old Manish Gupta had died under suspicious circumstances inside a hotel in Ramgarhtal area here on Monday.
A case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the six policemen and a hunt has been launched to nab them, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gorakhpur, Vipin Tada said.
The policemen booked for murder include J N Singh, sub inspector Vijay Yadav and Phalmandi Police post in-charge Akshay Mishra, Gorakhpur DM Vijay Kiran Anand said.
The authorities had suspended the policemen, including the Ramgarhtal SHO on Tuesday, and handed over the probe to the superintendent of police (city).
Meenakshi Gupta alleged that her husband died due to police beating.
However, police claimed that the businessman fell on the ground in an inebriated state and died due to the head injury that he sustained.
The wife of the deceased had refused to accept her husband's body after the post-mortem examination insisting on first registering a case against the policemen.
However, the family members took the body and left for Kanpur at around 1 am on Tuesday night, Anand said.
According to police, during checking on Monday night, the Ramgarhtal Police found that three people were staying on an ID of one Chandan Saini of Mahadeva Bazar in the Sikriganj area of Gorakhpur.
On getting suspicious, they went to the room where Manish Gupta was with his two friends, Pradeep Chauhan and Hari Chauhan of Gurgaon.
Police said while they were questioning the trio, Manish Gupta fell on the ground as he was in a drunken state and suffered a head injury.
He was taken to the BRD Medical College where he died during treatment, police claimed.