LUCKNOW: In a case of custodial death, a young businessman picked up for interrogation by the police in a robbery case died in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur Dehat district.
The custodial death victim has been identified as 27-year-old Balwant Singh of Lalpur Saraiya.
After Balwant's death came to light on Tuesday morning, his kin launched a protest demanding justice. This led to the police registering FIR against five cops and a doctor while 11 police personnel, including 2 station house officers (SHOs) were placed under suspension on charges of negligence.
It has been stated that police picked up Balwant Singh on Monday night for questioning him after a businessman Chandra Bhan Singh, a relative of Balwant, was robbed of Rs 4.5 lakh. The robbery was reported under the jurisdiction of Shivli Kotwali police station on December 6, 2022.
Police took Balwant to the Rania police station for interrogation. On Tuesday morning, his kin was informed that he has died.
Police claimed that Balwant complained of chest pain and later died in a hospital. But his kin refuted that version.
Balwant Singh's uncle Angad Singh said the police did not allow the family members to see his nephew when they went to the police station to meet him upon hearing about his arrest.
Even Chandra Bhan Singh, who complained of robbery, pleaded with the police that Balwant was in no way involved in the case. But the police officer did not pay heed.
Meanwhile, police found that Balwant's condition has been deteriorating and took him to a private nursing home in Nabipur where the doctors declined to admit him. He was then taken to a Community Health Centre (CHC) and later referred to the district hospital where the doctors declared him dead.
Following this, the cops, without informing either the victim's family or the senior police officers, abandoned Balwant's body in the district hospital and went away, his kin claimed.
A ward boy at the district hospital informed the Akbarpur police about Balwant's death around 1.30 am on Tuesday. The Akbarpur police station in charge informed the senior officers following which Kanpur Dehat SP Suniti sent the body for autopsy and informed Balwant's family about his death.
The family members landed at the hospital where the body was kept for post-mortem and launched a protest demanding appropriate action against the policemen involved in the alleged murder.
The FIR lodged at the Rania police station named the SHOs of Shivli and Rania police station, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Shiv Prakash Singh, respectively. A doctor at the district hospital doctor Dr Pawan Parya has been booked for trying to hush up the case allegedly by pretending to treat Balwant even after his death to show that he was under treatment for some time and did not die of police torture.
After getting the body of the victim on Wednesday morning, the family refused to conduct the last rites. They demanded CM Yogi Adityanath visit them. They launched a massive protest in front of the police station demanding Rs 1 crore as compensation and also a government job for Balwant’s wife. The family also demanded a commission headed by a retired judge to probe into Balwant’s death.
Kanpur Dehat DM Neha Jain and SP Suniti held talks with the family and convinced them by offering a relief of Rs 4 lakh and a job to Balwant’s wife.
Later reacting to the incident, BJP MP Devendra Singh Bhola, representing Kanpur Dehat in Lok Sabha, held the district police responsible for Balwant's death.
The MP, who met the bereaved family, pointed finger of suspicion at the role of district police chief Suniti and DM Neha Jain while assuring the family of strict action against all involved in Balwant’s death.