Apr
22
Man dies under police custody
April 22, 2005 | Comments Off on Man dies under police custody
Balbir Singh, a thirty-seven year old Dalit man, died in police custody in Kapurthala on April 21.
He was arrested at 1 a.m. that morning on charges of stealing 300 bags of wheat on a tractor-trailer from his employer, Mindhi Shah. He was taken to the Civil Hospital for a medical examination, found fit at 1:35 a.m., and then taken by the police for investigation. At 7:20 a.m., the police brought his body to the the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. The inquiry officer’s report states that Balbir Singh strangled himself to death with a blanket at the Sadar police station.
His father denies that Balbir Singh ever stole the wheat.
“Balbir had himself approached Mindhi Shah after the latter filed a complaint. My son had not duped him or run away with the goods. In fact, he had been kidnapped while he was on his way to Talwandi Mehma village to deliver 300 bags of wheat from New Grain Market to a godown there. The tractor-trailer and the wheat had been taken away from him by the kidnappers at gunpoint and he was taken to Phagwara,” claimed the father.
He added, “My son was not given a proper hearing and a case was slapped on him at the behest of Mindhi Shah who handed him over to the police the same day. Since then he had been in police custody.”
After the news of his death spread, an angry group of hundreds gathered outside the hospital to protest torture by police. The family of the victim has lodged a complaint against Mindhi Shah, the SHO of the Sadar police station, and the inquiry officer.
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