A 24-year old villager died under mysterious circumstances after being chased by two policemen here on Wednesday morning. Family members of Mandeep Singh, a resident of nearby Chuharwal village, accused head constable Karamjeet Singh and constable Mangal Singh of beating him to death. Later, they blocked traffic outside the local civil hospital, demanding action against the duo.
A case had been registered against Mandeep by the city police in 2010 under sections 323 and 324 (both pertaining to voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Reportedly, he was not appearing in the court for hearings. Proceedings to declare him a proclaimed offender had been initiated by the court.
Karamjeet and Mangal arrived at Mandeep's house on Wednesday morning to serve summons for his appearance in the court on Thursday.
"Around 8am, the policemen knocked at our door. Getting scared, Mandeep tried to flee by scaling the walls. Both cops chased him and caught up with him in a nearby field, where they thrashed him with sticks," Raj Rani, mother of the deceased, told HT.
"Later, the cops told us to ensure my son's appearance in the court. It was schoolchildren who spotted him lying unconscious in a field," she added.
Mandeep was taken to the civil hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Demanding action against the policemen, family members sat on dharna and raised slogans outside the hospital for nearly two hours.
{{/usCountry}}Mandeep was taken to the civil hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Demanding action against the policemen, family members sat on dharna and raised slogans outside the hospital for nearly two hours.
{{/usCountry}}Heavy police force was deployed on the spot. The dharna was lifted after an assurance of action by deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Paramjeet Singh.
"Prima facie, it appears that Mandeep died after accidentally inhaling pesticides sprayed in the fields. A medical board would conduct the post-mortem examination. Once the report is received, action would be taken against the policemen, if required," he said.