4 cops suspended over Dalit man’s death in lock-up

Four policemen were suspended on Monday, following the alleged custodial death of a Dalit man, arrested on charges of vehicle lifting in the Dewa Kotwali area here, which triggered a protest.

JP Yadav, <g data-gr-id="23">incharge</g> of the Mati police outpost – where the Subhash Rajvanshi was kept last evening and his body found hanging from an iron grill –has been put under suspension along with sub-inspector Santosh Singh and constables Ram Raj and Kanta Prasad.

Earlier in the day, angry protesters went on a rampage torching a police station and several vehicles in Dewa Kotwali area. Two policemen were seriously injured in the violence that erupted after the body was found hanging from a grill in the lock-up, with his family alleging that he was tortured to death in custody.

Police, however, claimed that Rajvanshi had committed suicide. A resident of <g data-gr-id="26">Madiyaon</g> area, Rajvanshi was arrested by police for allegedly stealing a motorcycle, police said. An inmate Shyamu Rawat said the youth went to <g data-gr-id="25">toilet</g> and later his body was found hanging from an iron grill. Infuriated with the incident, around 60 people attacked the police outpost, vandalised and torched it, besides three motorcycles, police said.

“Two policemen were brutally assaulted by the mob and have been referred to <g data-gr-id="22">trauma</g> center at Lucknow in serious condition,” Superintendent of Police Abdul Hameed said.