Accusing the state police of “shielding” officers of Kumher police station over the custodial death of a former army personnel, three villages under the subdivision in Bharatpur district have decided to boycott the assembly election due on December 7 in the state.

Sarpanches of Baben, Dehra and Awar villages and a retired colonel, Ombeer Singh, held a panchayat attended by “thousands of people” on October 27 and decided to not participate in the polls unless the accused officers are arrested for what they alleged was the torture and killing of Naik (retired) Prahlad Singh, 53, a resident of Dhapa Ka Nagla.

Singh was picked up by the police on the night of August 23 reportedly in an inebriated state. He was taken to the Kumher police station where, district inspector general Malini Agarwal later told the media, he hanged himself by using the blanket kept in the cell.

Singh’s son, Sagar, 28, registered a complaint against seven police officers under IPC Section 302 (murder), naming as accused station house officer Vijay Meena, assistant sub inspector Omprakash, and constables Govind Singh, Samay Singh, Kamal Singh, Kailash Singh, Devendra Singh.

Sagar has alleged that he and some relatives had gone to the police station that night for his father’s release but found the police “beating him up in the lock up”.

Dehra village sarpanch Atar Devi alleged that the police were “trying to save the accused officers”.

A week after Singh’s death, the army’s administrative commandant in Bharatpur wrote to the district collector following which a judicial inquiry was ordered into Singh’s death.

Lok Dal youth wing state president Manu Dev Sinsini, who attended the October 27 panchayat, the district administration has failed to support the deceased ex-armyman even as the locals have been demanding legal action against the accused officers. The leader said the villagers have decided to boycott the elections unless the seven officers are acted against.

First Published: Nov 01, 2018 13:50 IST