The family of the slain DSP, Zia-ul-Haque, on Wednesday rubbished the post-mortem report and contended that he was shot thrice, and not once as claimed in the report.
Mr. Haque, the Circle Officer of Kunda tehsil in Pratapgarh district, was killed on Saturday in a clash that erupted over the murder of a village pradhan in the Hathgawan area.
The post-mortem report said he was shot once in the back and the bullet exited through the chest after damaging his internal organs. A medical student in Lucknow, Mr. Haque’s wife Parveen Azad, however, claimed she saw one bullet wound each on her husband’s knees and one bullet on the upper body. The DSP’s uncle Phul Mohammed also claimed the same thing. “Everybody in the area is bought. It was a clear cut conspiracy.” he said.
Ms. Azad said there were no bullet marks on his trousers, suggesting he was stripped before being shot. She alleged her husband was assaulted and dragged before being shot, saying he had deep wounds on his head. Locals have confirmed that Mr. Haque was assaulted before being shot. However, nobody has agreed to come on record, or provided details.
The Uttar Pradesh police are yet to retrieve the bullet that killed Mr. Haque and the weapon used. It is speculated that the DSP might have been shot with his own service revolver as his weapon has gone missing after the incident.
His family members told The Hindu that he was under pressure to exclude some names from a report he was scheduled to submit to the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on March 12. The report dealt with last June’s violence in Asthan village, in which around 50 Muslims homes were razed after a 14-year-old Dalit girl was raped and murdered; illegal sand mining in the region could also have been the trigger.
The report was to name 140 people, including some close to Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh, who has been booked for conspiracy. Mr. Haque’s family said he had been worried over their security after he received threats, and had even been contemplating leaving his job.
Missing key and mobile
Ms. Azad has also raised doubts over a missing key and a mobile phone belonging to her husband. According to her, her husband always used to carry his mobile and camera with him while going out. However, his phone was switched off on the day of the incident. The keys to his house were also missing, Ms. Azad said, adding that at home he stored important documents related to his investigation.
