Fifteen policemen were suspended and some of them booked for murder in Kanpur district after a Dalit youth was found dead in custody under suspicious circumstances on Thursday.
A case has been registered against the police personnel under the stringent Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the IPC Section 302 (murder) after relatives of the Dalit youth lodged a complaint.
Kamal Valmiki, in his mid-twenties, was reportedly picked up by police in Chakeri area late on Tuesday night along with his brother for questioning in a looting case. Another person, Raju Mistry, had also been apprehended along with them. On Thursday, Kamal was found dead in custody by his sister.
Relatives protest
The relatives of the youth and angry locals staged a protest outside the Ahirwan police station and the check post he was kept in, and pelted stones at it.
They alleged that Kamal died due to police torture. However, the police claimed that he committed suicide.
Kanpur Senior Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathur said 15 police personnel had been suspended.
“This includes the inspector of the Chakeri police station under which the incident has taken place and the check post in-charge of Ahirwar,” Mr. Mathur said.
The entire staff of the check post — sub-inspector and outpost in-charge Yogendra Singh Solanki and 11 constables — were suspended. Another constable, who allegedly took the Dalit youth into custody, was also suspended.
