Lucknow: The family of a 26-year-old Sajid Abbas, a resident of Rataul town of Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, have accused the local police in Rataul of custodial torture after Abbas, a labourer, succumbed to injuries in a hospital on Sunday evening.
Abbasi’s death after brief detention triggered tensions in the region, according to Maktoob Media report.
“We have not received any complaint from the family yet. They are claiming he died in police custody. We will check the veracity (of the accusation) once we receive a complaint,” Deputy SP of Khekhda, Prita Singh, told The Indian Express over telephone.
The family, however, alleged that three police personnel from Rataul outpost picked up the victim on Sunday morning, accusing him of taking part in gambling.
Shahabuddin, Abbasi’s elder brother, told Maktoob Media that his brother was picked up by police after being mistaken for being a gambler. The mango fields near their home are infamous for gambling.
“Police were chasing some gamblers and they picked my brother who was returning home. He tried pleading with them that he was not a gambler. But the four policemen started thrashing him. He was arrested and taken to the chowki, where they beat him up even more. He was unconscious when my father reached the chowki to inquire about the issue,” the report quoted Shahabuddin as saying.
He died at a hospital in Khekra. Abbasi has three children and his wife is currently expecting.
Relatives and neighbours demonstrated outside police station in the afternoon and demanded action against policemen allegedly involved in torturing him in the guise of questioning.
