Ghaziabad cops booked for custodial torture of auto driver

Hundreds of auto drivers staged a protest on the CISF Road in Indirapuram on Monday afternoon, alleging custodial torture of Singh which led to his death and calling for action against the policemen responsible

The Ghaziabad police have registered an FIR of culpable homicide against a sub-inspector, a constable and two other persons in connection with alleged custodial torture of a 30-year-old auto-rickshaw driver who died on Monday morning.

Auto drivers block CISF road in Ghaziabad on Monday to protest against the police, after Dharmpal Singh died allegedly in police custody. (ANI)

The officials said on Tuesday that an FIR was registered against a sub-inspector, a constable and two other unnamed persons under Indian Penal Code Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) at the Indirapuram police station. The FIR was lodged on a complaint given by the family of the deceased driver Dharmpal Singh.

Singh’s auto hit a cyclist near Kanawani on Sunday evening, resulting in minor injuries to the cyclist. Later, police from the Kanawani police post nabbed Singh and took him to the police post around 10.30pm Sunday. Two hours later, the police handed him over to his family who rushed him to two different hospitals in Indirapuram but the man succumbed around 4.30am on Monday.

Hundreds of auto drivers staged a protest on the CISF Road in Indirapuram on Monday afternoon, alleging custodial torture of Singh which led to his death and calling for action against the policemen responsible.

“The autopsy of the deceased was conducted by a panel of doctor and the viscera has been preserved to arrive at a better conclusion about the cause of death. There were no external injuries on Singh’s body except for an abrasion and an injury on the abdomen, which indicated that he was hit with some blunt object. It is suspected that the deceased died of some internal injury. He could have sustained that in the accident as well as his auto had overturned after hitting the cyclist. We have a witness who says Singh came under the overturned auto,” said Diksha Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (trans-Hindon).

The DCP has also initiated an inquiry into the allegations of custodial torture.

“We have registered an FIR against one sub-inspector, a constable and two other unnamed persons. The SI has been suspended while the staff of the police post have been sent to police lines pending inquiry. The deceased was not treated at the two hospitals where his family took him. He was declared brought dead at the second hospital,” Sharma said.

Meanwhile, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised questions about the police and tweeted on Monday urging the government to provide a government job to the wife of the deceased and ₹1 crore as compensation to the family.

Singh lived with his wife and three children at Kanawani in Indirapuram. The body was handed over to the family who took it to their native place Kasganj for cremation.

“We have brought the body to our native place for cremation and once we are done, we will go back to Ghaziabad and approach the police to speed up the inquiry and act against the errant policemen,” said Murari Singh, Singh’s brother.