Image courtesy: Times of India
Dasrath SinghKatheria, a 45-year-old brick kiln worker from Rakari village in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh allegedly died by suicide following a beating from local policemen. Police have now ordered a probe into the Dalit man’s death based on a complaint by the victim’s father.
Trouble began on Monday, when Dasrath entered into an argument with his brother Brijesh and the matter came to blows. Both were taken into custody by the local police who demanded money to broker peace. The Times of India quoted excerpts from Dasrath’s father Amar Singh’s police complaint: “Police had demanded Rs 5,000 to broker compromise between my two sons. They somehow managed to arrange for Rs 3,000. However, not satisfied with the money, policemen thrashed them and booked both of them under CrPC section 151 for attempting breach of peace. Later, they were granted bail by the sub-divisional magistrate.”
He goes on to say, “In the evening, constable Pushpendra called my son Dasrath and asked him to reach the police outpost located in the village with the remaining Rs 2,000. On reaching the police outpost and expressing his helplessness in making arrangements for the money, he was brutally beaten up by constables Pushpendra and Ajeet. The two then brought him back home on a motorcycle. They abused and thrashed him in front of the villagers and threatened to kill him in a police encounter if he didn’t arrange for money.”
Amar Singh told The Quint, “We were all downstairs when Dasrath used the rope in his cot in the room upstairs to hand himself His daughter discovered the body.”
On Wednesday, Kamlesh Kumar Dixit, who is the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mainpuri, ordered a probe, and the role of the two local policemen – Pushpendra Chahar and Ajeet Singh – is being investigated.
Despite the beating taking place in front of villagers, the post-mortem report fails to mention any effects of the same. TOI quoted Dixit as saying, “The postmortem report mentioned asphyxia due to ante-mortem hanging as the cause of death, but makes no mention of any bruises or injuries on the rest of the body. The case is under investigation.”
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