ALWAR: A 59-year-old retired solider committed suicide in the
Kumher police station lock-up in Bharatpur late on Wednesday night.
The soldier,
Prahlad Singh, was arrested on charges of being drunk at a public place. Singh was brought to the police station and put in the lock-up where he allegedly tore his blanket, made a rope and hung himself. His family has alleged that police excess forced him to take his own life.
The former army man’s body was taken to the mortuary of the district hospital and handed over to the family after post-mortem. An SDM rank official has been appointed to investigate the matter. An
FSL team also collected samples from the lock-up for examination.
As the news spread, a huge crowd protested outside the police station. Singh’s brother demanded booking police constables for murder. The family also alleged that there were several signs of external injuries on his body, indicating he was beaten up by cops.
The death the elderly retired solider has come as a huge embarrassment for the police. District SP Kesar Singh said that Singh committed suicide in the station late at night and they were investigating the matter.
Senior officials told TOI that some of the policemen, who were present in the station, may face action over the death in police custody. “He was found on the road in an inebriated condition. The police brought him to the station and put him in the lockup. He made a rope from the blanket and hung himself. The medical board which conducted the post-mortem will clarify if there were any injuries on his body of not,” the official said.
A huge crowd had gathered to protest outside the police station.
