Punjab: 75-year-old Sangrur resident dies in police custody; kin allege torture

The Patiala police in its communique said that they had arrested the 75-year-old along with his wife on June 26, and the court had granted a day for the remand

A 75-year-old Sangrur resident, Karamjit Singh, is reported to have died in the Sanour police station during the wee hours of Saturday. Karamjit was in police remand in a forgery case till Saturday. However, alleging police torture, the kin of the deceased refused to take the body and sought action against the cops responsible for his death.

Alleging police torture, the kin of the deceased refused to take the body and sought action against the cops responsible for his death. (HT Photo)

The Patiala police in its communique said that they had arrested Karamjit along with his wife on June 26, and the court had granted a day for the remand. The police said that the remand was further extended by one more day by the court.

The police claimed that Karamjit’s health deteriorated during the wee hours of Saturday and was declared dead by the doctors at Government Rajindra Hospital. Karamjit and his wife Balwinder Kaur were arrested under sections 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Gurpreet Singh, son of the deceased, said, “Yesterday, a medical examination of my father was conducted for a court hearing. He was declared fit by the doctors. How come just in hours my father’s health deteriorated and he died. We want a fair probe, and action against the police officers responsible for his death.”

Meanwhile, Gurpartap, deputy superintendent of police (rural), said that the post-mortem report would tell the exact cause of the death. The post-mortem has already been conducted under the supervision of a magistrate.