UP Police file FIR against unknown cops after man dies in custody

Satya Prakash Shukla alias Sajan Shukla, 45, was allegedly involved in the loot of Rs 26 lakh from bank employees when the money was being transferred to a UCO Bank branch in a cash van on October 5.

Uttar Pradesh police said they have filed an FIR for murder against unknown police personnel in Amethi after a man detained in connection with a case of loot died in police custody, allegedly due to torture on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

The man’s family he died because of torture after he was taken to a police station.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Satya Prakash Shukla alias Sajan Shukla, 45, was allegedly involved in the loot of Rs 26 lakh from bank employees when the money was being transferred to a UCO Bank branch in a cash van on October 5, police said.

While police claimed they had sufficient evidence to interrogate him further, family members alleged the deceased was interrogated twice earlier in the same case but was released due to lack of evidence against him.

Shukla’s death angered family members and locals who staged a protest demanding registration of FIR against police personnel responsible for his death.

They also demanded the arrest of police personnel involved in the incident and ex-gratia for the family of the deceased. The deceased was also said to be associated with a political party in Pratapgarh.

Police officials said the FIR was registered at City Kotwali of Sultanpur district in the matter. They said the FIR was lodged in Sultanpur as the deceased was declared dead while being treated at the Sultanpur district hospital and it will be transferred to Amethi police for further investigation.

The deceased’s brother Om Prakash Shukla said the police personnel of Amethi’s Peeparpur police station and its Special Operations Group (SOG) barged into their house in Pratapgarh’s Antu area at around 3 am on Tuesday.

He said the police personnel took along his brother Sajan Shukla and his two sons Rahul and Sahil forcibly without assigning any reasons to the family. He said he and his family were later informed that he was tortured by police personnel following which he died.

He said the deceased’s two sons told him that their father was tortured and forced to accept that he was involved in the cash loot case.

Refuting the allegations, superintendent of police (SP), Amethi, Khyati Garg said it was not a case of police torture but the deceased had apparently consumed poisonous substances following which his health deteriorated. She said the police team first admitted him to a near-by community health centre and later shifted to Sultanpur district hospital where he succumbed.

“We had sufficient ground for Sajan Shukla’s detention and interrogation as he was suspected of tipping off his other accomplices about the cash movement. Moreover, he has previous criminal background. He was also associated with dreaded criminal Zakir Ali alias Guddu,” she said while explaining the reasons behind deceased’s detention.

She said the post-mortem of the deceased is been conducted and further course of action will be initiated as per its findings.

Sultanpur’s superintendent of police Himanshu Kumar said the FIR was registered on the complaint of the deceased’s brother as the family members were not allowing to carry out the post-mortem examination and other legal proceedings. “Initially, no external injury was spotted on the deceased’s body while the details of internal injury if any will be revealed only after the post-mortem examination,” he added.

He said the FIR is registered under IPC sections 302 for murder, 392 for loot, 342 for criminal house trespass with intention to hurt and 504 for insult with intent to provoke breach of peace. He said the unidentified police personnel of Amethi’s Peeparpur police station and SOG have been booked in the matter.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, in a tweet, has demanded thorough investigation in the case. Later in a statement, Akhilesh said the law and order was no longer in government’s control.

“Day by day the condition was going from bad to worse. Now, murders, rapes, loots have become commonplace. While people are angry, the government has no solution to peoples’ problems. Looks like the administration is paralysed and the government has no will power left.”