UP police, searching for a Dalit son, woke a sleeping father; his body was found hours later; a murder case has been filed against six people, including a sub-inspector and a constable.
In Ballia, UP, police, searching for a son, detained a Dalit father. Following the suspicious death, a murder case has been filed against six people, including a sub-inspector, a constable, and the village head.
Uttar Pradesh: A particularly tragic incident has come to light from Ballia district. Police arrived at the home of a 22-year-old man in search of him, but when they failed to find him, they detained his 44-year-old Dalit father. A few hours later, the laborer father died under suspicious circumstances.
The deceased has been identified as Kamji Gond. The family alleges that the police severely beat and tortured Kamji to extract information about their son. A named FIR has been filed against two policemen, a village head, and three others for murder. The accused policemen have been suspended with immediate effect.
However, the police have completely denied any allegations of custodial assault. Following the incident, the deceased’s family and villagers staged a massive protest. They alleged that the police assaulted Kamji, threw him unconscious in a field, and fled, where he later died in the hospital.
Based on a complaint by Kamji’s son, Vishal, a murder case has been registered at the Revati police station against six people: Sub-Inspector Sachin Saroj, Constable Ankit Singh, Village Head Ashutosh Shankar Singh, and three local citizens. Ballia Superintendent of Police Omveer Singh stated that the accused inspector and constable have been suspended.
SP Omveer Singh also stated that the SHO of Revati police station, Raj Kishore Singh, has been removed from his post and placed on the line. Given the seriousness of the matter, a magisterial inquiry has been ordered. No arrests have been made yet, and two of the accused belong to the Dalit community.
The actual conflict began on July 7th. The deceased’s son, Vishal, had an argument with shopkeeper Suraj Kannaujiya over purchasing chicken at a shop near Khedan intersection in Gaighat village. The argument quickly escalated into a scuffle, which was later resolved with the intervention of local residents. Vishal claims that under pressure from the village head and others, the shopkeeper filed a complaint of assault against him.
Based on this complaint, two policemen arrived at Vishal’s house at 1:20 pm on July 8th in search of Vishal. Vishal was not at home, so the policemen picked up his father, Kamji, who was sleeping there. The son alleges that the police took his father to a nearby brick kiln and brutally assaulted him to force him to reveal Vishal’s hiding place.
According to family members, when Kamji fell unconscious due to the severe beating, the policemen abandoned him in a garden near the brick kiln and fled. Around 6 pm, locals found him unconscious and informed the family. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where a team of doctors referred him to Varanasi. Kamji died while undergoing treatment at the Varanasi hospital.
On the other hand, the police version is completely different. The police department states that Kamji began experiencing breathing difficulties during interrogation. According to officials, he was left in the custody of a neighbor at around 4 pm on July 8th, and that neighbor took him away. The police have denied the allegations of assault and abandonment.
The police also clarified that the post-mortem report could not confirm the exact cause of Kamji’s death. Consequently, doctors have preserved the viscera for forensic examination, the report of which is currently awaited. Furthermore, the police also informed that the complainant, Vishal, already faces several serious criminal charges, including murder.
Following this incident, the angry family refused to cremate the body, demanding strict action against the accused. After massive protests, when the police filed a murder case against the named accused, the family agreed to proceed with the funeral.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News
