E-Paper
Uttarakhand police form SIT to probe suspicious death of Dalit man
The police have formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the death of a 55-year-old Dalit man who died after upper caste men allegedly thrashed him for having dinner at a wedding in Champawat district
The Uttarakhand police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death of a 55-year-old Dalit man who died after upper caste men allegedly thrashed him for having dinner at a wedding in the state’s Champawat district on Sunday.
“Three station house officers have been included in the SIT to carry out an unbiased probe in the matter,” said police superintendent Devendra Pincha.
Pincha said Ramesh Ram’s widow has accused some upper caste men of beating him for having dinner at the wedding. He added they have filed a case on the basis of her complaint under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 302 (murder) and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Pincha said the SIT has started the probe. “I have met the relatives of the deceased person and watched a video of the wedding. It does not look like murder...however everything will be clear after the probe. SIT will probe... This does not look the case of beating for having dinner...”
Banshidhar Arya, a local Dalit leader, said they have been camping in the man’s village after the incident and want justice for his family. “Police must start a probe soon so that justice can be ensured and punishment is given to the accused. We are hopeful that police will soon catch the person responsible for this heinous crime.”
