Amritsar youth ends life, kin allege police torture

AMRITSAR: A youth on Wednesday committed suicide in Amritsar, allegedly after being humiliated and tortured by the police. The deceased, Sandeep, hanged himself from the ceiling fan of his room.
Carrying Sandeep’s body, his family members protested in front of the police station and demanded stern action against the cops responsible for the tragedy. The bereaved mother alleged that her son was tortured by them for two consecutive days.
Local Akali leader Talbir Singh said Sandeep’s brother Raman Kumar Shanky was wanted in a shootout incident but was absconding. He said the police took Sandeep to the police station to pressurise the family to produce Shanky, though the family had disowned him long back.
However, denying the charges, Amritsar police commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill said Sandeep was called to the police station for an inquiry into a case, in which his brother is wanted. Sources in police claimed that Sandeep had assured the police to produce Shanky, but later his brother refused to appear. “Maybe, he was too tense, so he took the step,” said a police official. Gill said he has marked an inquiry.