SRINAGAR: An ASI and two other Police constables were suspended on Saturday after the death of a youth in police custody in district Rajouri.
Quoting official sources newspaper Daily Excelsior reported that a young man died under suspicious condition at Bakhar Police Post in Solki area under Dharamsal Police Station of Kalakot Sub-Division of Rajouri.
The family and villagers of the youth kept the dead body in the middle of the road at Solki and blocked the road for about six hours, and held protest against the police and demanded action against those responsible for it. The dead body of the youth bore injury marks, the report said.
Newspaper Daily Excelsior quoted relatives of youth namely Sher Singh, son of Chatar Singh, resident of Duggal Halal as having said that he used to work in a shop at Sunderbani. On Friday, the youth was coming home from Sunderbani on Lohri and reached Siot. He called his brother and told him to come and pick him up as he was not getting any vehicle for home.
His brother reached Siot and did not find him there. Neither he reached home, nor he contacted the family. And when brother of deceased showed his photo to some people, they told that this young man was caught by the police at Bakhar Naka on Friday evening and taken away with them. When the brother of the deceased youth rushed at naka, policemen told him that his brother was injured and was being treated by taking him to the Government hospital Sunderbani.
The police later packed the dead body in a plastic cover and sent it to Kalakot along with brother and a constable in a car. According to brother, the police did not allow his brother to even see his brother’s face and said that he is being taken to the hospital.
The police stopped the car on the way and told the brother that now he himself take him to the hospital. When brother saw his face, he found him dead. He called his family members and soon all the relatives reached and started a huge protest by placing the dead body on the road at Solki. They raised slogans against the police, saying that the police had beaten up the youth and after his death in police custody, wrapped the body in a plastic cover.
After about 6 hours of demonstration, ADC Kalakot Krishna Lal and SDPO Nowshera Tauseef Ahmed reached the spot and the family members were assured that the investigation of the case would be taken up and action would be taken against the guilty police personnel and they would also be suspended.
And after the assurance of ADC, the relatives took the dead body to the Government hospital in Kalakot, where the doctors took possession of the dead body and after completing other legal rights, the dead body was taken by family members to home for the last rites.
Meanwhile, newspaper Daily Excelsior quoted ASP Nowshera Mohammad Rafi Giri as having said that the police have registered a case of suspicious death and while initiating further action one ASI Ramesh Chandra, Head Constable Tilak Raj and follower Chaman Lal have been suspended.
