“The investigation into the case has begun," said the SHO.Two years after a 31-year-old farmer was found dead with his body hanging from a tree in Durganpura village of Lalitpur, the Crime Branch of the UP Police has booked an inspector and a head constable for abetment to suicide.
The farmer’s wife, Hirendra Raja, had approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), alleging that her husband was murdered by local policemen who took him away from his house at Bastgua village on April 27, 2020, and then hanged his body at Durganpura village — around 30 km away — to make it appear as a suicide.
On the direction of the NHRC, the UP government directed the CB-CID to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
In its inquiry report, the CB-CID stated that 31-year-old Bhagwat Singh died by suicide as he feared police action.
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“The FIR has been registered against two police personnel – Inspector Nigvendra Pratap and Head Constable Narendra Singh for abetment to suicide,” said Station House Officer (Lalitpur Kotwali) Santosh Singh, adding no arrest has been made yet.
While Nigvendra Singh is currently posted in Jalaun, Narendra Singh is posted in Tab Behat area of Lalitpur.
According to the police, the incident took place during the first Covid-19 lockdown when police chased a group of people who were standing the road. Bhagwat was among those who were chased away by the police on April 25, 2020.
It is alleged that a heated argument took place between the police and residents, including Bhagwat, on that day.
In her complaint to the NHRC, Bhagwat’s wife had alleged that her husband was thrashed and threatened by two policemen – Nigvendra Pratap and Narendra Singh — on April 25, 2020. Two days later on April 27, Narendra Singh arrived at their home with a police team and took away her husband, she alleged, adding that on April 29, Bhagwat Singh was found hanging from a tree in the village.
The CB-CID, on the other hand, stated that police had chased Bhagwat Singh on April 25, 2020, but failed to catch him that day. The next day, Narendra Singh conducted a search at Bhagwat Singh’s house at Bastgua village. “It was found during the inquiry that Bhagwat Singh felt threatened after coming to know that police were looking for him. The CB-CID stated that Bhagwat Singh hanged himself from a tree. The doctor who conducted the postmortem said the body was two-three days old,” said a police officer.
“The investigation into the case has begun,” said the SHO.