A man on parole died after being allegedly assaulted by policemen in north-east Delhi’s Nand Nagri area on Monday evening for interfering in a quarrel between an estranged couple.
The police thrashed Shahnawaz Chaudhary, 35, before bundling him into a police vehicle. His condition deteriorated on the way to the police station. He was rushed to a hospital where he died.
But, the police said that Shahnawaz was not beaten up by the police. “He complained of uneasiness on his way to the police station because of which we took him to hospital,” said Veenu Bansal, DCP (North-East).
However, The Hindu is in possession of a five-minute-long video in which policemen are seen assaulting Shahnawaz.
The deceased was convicted in a criminal case registered at the Sultanpuri police station. He was out on a month-long parole after the birth of his three-month-old son. He had a love marriage with Mamta six years ago and the family lived in Nand Nagri.
According to the police, there was a quarrel between an estranged couple Farah and Shahzad around 5 p.m. on Monday near Gagan Cinema in Nand Nagri upon which the woman called the police.
“The man suspected Farah of being in an illicit relationship with Shahnawaz who soon reached the spot and began interfering in police proceedings,” said Mr. Bansal.
The police then thrashed him and allegedly roughed up Mamta too before forcing them into an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV).
The police claimed he died during treatment, whereas Mamta alleged that the police pulled out his lifeless body from the vehicle. The police have refused to file any case, saying it would be done after the autopsy report.
