According to an officer, Govinda Yadav and his accomplice Nayeem (30) were arrested from Sunder Nagri by two policemen Thursday morning. (Representational)By Jignasa Sinha
A 25-year-old man died in police custody at North East Delhi’s Nand Nagri police station Thursday — the third death inside police station premises in the past month. Three personnel from the police station — head constable Abhishek and constables Udham Singh and Vishaal — have been suspended.
According to an officer, Govinda Yadav and his accomplice Nayeem (30) were arrested from Sunder Nagri by two policemen Thursday morning. Police claimed Yadav was arrested under the Excise Act and taken to Nand Nagri police station. Around 10.30 pm, he was rushed to GTB Hospital, where he was declared dead.
An investigation into his death will be undertaken by a Metropolitan Magistrate. Usually, if the MM does not find irregularities, he assigns the task to a Sub-Divisional Magistrate. In this case, police admitted there were “issues” while filing the FIR. “There were some issues with documentation work. But we have not found the officers indulging in violence. The MM will look into the matter,” said Additional DCP (North East) R P Meena.
According to police, the two men were arrested Thursday morning and kept at the police station through the day. At 10.30 pm, Yadav told officers that he was feeling uneasy, following which he fell on the floor, unconscious, Meena said, adding that police officers rushed him to the hospital.
Asked why he was arrested, an officer claimed the men were allegedly carrying 17 boxes of illicit liquor.
While police said the MM’s probe and post-mortem will shed more light on the matter, an officer claimed Yadav had “a stomach ache”.
The family, however, alleged misconduct by police. Yadav’s cousin Reshma claimed, “I was called to Nand Nagri police station at 7 pm but they didn’t let me meet my brother. Instead, officers demanded money for bail but I told them we can’t afford to pay that much.” The family claimed none of them were allowed to meet Yadav before his death at the police station.
The family claimed they received a call late at night that Yadav had died at GTB Hospital. On Friday, his body was shifted to the mortuary amid heavy police presence.
Yadav’s father Ram Gulam Yadav (55) claimed that his son’s body had bruises on the arms and legs. “Police must have beaten him up because we weren’t informed about his illness and were only called after he died,” he claimed. Meena, however, said the post-mortem report will take time and there is no evidence of external injury.
According to the family, Yadav was a labourer who barely earned enough to provide for his two younger brothers and father.
On June 5, a 25-year-old man died after he was brought in for questioning at Delhi Cantt police station. He was picked up on charges of cheating an ex-serviceman. Police claimed he suffered an epileptic episode. On May 27, a 55-year-old man died after he fell from the balcony of the Bawana police station, right after he was questioned about his son’s whereabouts.
