Uttar Pradesh Police has placed a constable under suspension in connection with the mysterious death of 33-year-old Mohammad Dilshad in police custody, Ghaziabad SP (City-I) Nipun Agarwal said on June 14.
Mr. Agarwal told The Hindu that constable Neeraj Rathi was placed under suspension following allegations made by Dilshad’s family. While the police earlier claimed that Dilshad, a resident of Makanpur, died in an accident on Monday, his family has alleged he was tortured in police custody and succumbed to his injuries in hospital later.
According to the police, Dilshad was wanted in a molestation case and two policemen were sent to his house on Monday to bring him to the Vijay Nagar police station for questioning.
‘Hit by truck’
“Dilshad was hit by a truck when he stuck his head out of the vehicle’s window to spit while he was being brought to the police station. He was then taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead. We have arrested the truck driver, Hukum Singh, and his helper Praveen Kumar. A case under IPC Sections 304A and 279 have been registered against them,” ACP (Kotwali) Saloni Agarwal said, adding a probe was under way.
“Any further action against the constable will be taken only after the probe is over. Prima facie, it is a case of accident,” the SP said, adding the police have filed an FIR under IPC Section 302 against the constable and unidentified policemen based on a complaint by the deceased’s family.
‘Had gone to deliver dry-cleaned uniform’
The victim Mohammad Naushad
Hours before he died in police custody, Mohammad Dilshad, the owner of a dry-cleaning shop, was washing police uniforms. Dilshad, according to his brother, had been cleaning police uniforms in his small shop next to the Abhay Khand police outpost for more than 15 years. “Everyone at the chowki knew him,” said Mohammad Naushad.
So, when constable Neeraj Rathi asked Dilshad to bring the outpost in-charge’s uniform to the chowki, no one suspected any foul play, added the 26-year-old. “Around 2 p.m. on Monday, he received a call from constable Neeraj Rathi asking him to bring the uniform. We both went to deliver it on my bike,” Mr. Naushad said, adding that no one told them anything about any molestation case.
‘Door shut’
Only Dilshad was allowed to enter inside. “I was waiting outside. A few minutes later, I heard my brother’s screams. When I ran inside, I saw him getting beaten up. They pushed me out and shut the door,” Mr. Naushad told The Hindu. He said he ran home and brought his father along, only to find everyone gone.
“By the time we came back, they had taken Dilshad somewhere else.” Mr. Naushad said he and his father went from one police station to another looking for Dilshad. “By evening, someone told us to go to the Indirapuram police station. “When we didn’t find him there, we were told to go to the Vijay Nagar police station. There we were told he is at a mortuary nearby.”
The police conducted the post-mortem without informing the family, he alleged. “We were not allowed to see him and called to identify the body only on Tuesday.” Struggling to come to terms with his loss, Mr. Naushad said, “My brother wanted his 15-year-old son to become a police officer. Look at the irony.”
