Bookie dies in police custody in MP’s Gwalior, five cops suspended

Heavy police force was deployed at the police station as local businessmen protested in support of Sonu Bansal’s family on Tuesday

Published on: Aug 18, 2021, 09:49:35 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Five policemen, including a town inspector, were suspended on Tuesday after a bookie died in police custody in Gwalior late Monday night, said superintendent of police Amit Sanghi.

Representational image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The family of the bookie (identified as Sonu Bansal, 30) accused police of torturing him at Inderganj police station.

Sanghi suspended town inspector Rajendra Parihar, additional sub-inspector Brijlal, constables Naresh, Mukesh and Shyam Kumar, all posted at Inderganj police station.

Sanghi said, “A magisterial inquiry has been ordered in the matter of the death of Sonu Bansal but it is wrong to say that he was tortured. We are looking at CCTV camera footage of the police station and investigating the matter.”

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“Sonu Bansal was a bookie and was arrested on Monday night. During interrogation, he felt uneasy. He was taken to the hospital where a doctor declared him brought dead,” he added.

Sonu’s wife Dolly Bansal said, “Police came to my house to take my husband at around 8pm. My husband told me that he will return in 10 minutes but at 2am, a constable came to my house and said my husband died.”

There were marks of torture on his body. He was killed by police personnel, she alleged.

Heavy police force was deployed at the police station as local businessmen protested in support of Bansal’s family on Tuesday.

With inputs from Mahesh Shivhare

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More