Man dies in custody, police admit to ‘procedural lapses’; suspend three | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
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Man dies in custody, police admit to ‘procedural lapses’; suspend three

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Jun 08, 2019 03:33 AM IST

The Delhi Police, however, denied the allegations of physical assault and said that the bribery charges were unsubstantiated in the initial probe, but acknowledged that there were certain “procedural lapses”.

A 25-year-old man died in police custody at Nand Nagri police station in North East Delhi on Thursday night, hours after he and his friend were detained on suspicion of bootlegging.

The death of Govind Yadav prompted his relatives to allege that he had been beaten up in custody and that some policemen had taken a bribe of ₹10,000 to let him off without a case.(FilePhoto)
The death of Govind Yadav prompted his relatives to allege that he had been beaten up in custody and that some policemen had taken a bribe of ₹10,000 to let him off without a case.(FilePhoto)

The death of Govind Yadav prompted his relatives to allege that he had been beaten up in custody and that some policemen had taken a bribe of 10,000 to let him off without a case.

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The Delhi Police, however, denied the allegations of physical assault and said that the bribery charges were unsubstantiated in the initial probe, but acknowledged that there were certain “procedural lapses”.

“We have suspended a head constable and two constables. But their lapses have nothing to do with the man’s death,” said RP Meena, additional deputy commissioner of police (North East).

A similar case had been reported from Nand Nagri police station in September 2015 when the policemen there were accused of allegedly beating a 35-year-old man, Shahnawaz Chaudhary, to death on a busy street in the area. Back then, the police had claimed that Chaudhary was out on parole and had died due to natural causes. However, a murder case was registered on the order of a court after a video of some policemen beating up Chaudhary surfaced.

Yadav, the victim in Thursday’s case, worked as a house painter on weekdays and made Youtube videos. He lived with his two brothers in Tahirpur, while his father lives in another neighbourhood.

Additional deputy commissioner of police Meena said that Yadav had no criminal cases against him. Yadav’s friend Naeem — who had also been picked up by the police — had a case under the Excise Act against him.

“Yadav and Naeem was picked up around 6.45am on Thursday by the police from a Nand Nagri neighbourhood, while they were carrying 17 cartons of countrymade liquor. They were brought to the police station,” said Meena.

“The policemen did not follow standard operating procedures in recording the arrest or registering an FIR,” said ADCP Meena.

Meanwhile, Yadav’s relative Reshma said that she learnt of his detention in the morning itself and visited the police station but was not allowed to meet him. “I briefly met Naeem, who signalled to me that the police had beaten both of them,” alleged Reshma.

She alleged that around 7pm, a policeman asked her to revisit the police station. “But when I reached the station, another policeman asked me to pay 20,000 for Yadav’s release. We finally settled at 10,000 and I gave him the money,” Reshma alleged.

The family learnt of Yadav’s deteriorating health around 9.30pm when his younger brother Govinda was asked by the police to visit GTB Hospital.

“Yadav appeared to be drowsy at the policestation around 9pm. He later collapsed. The police first offered him water before rushing him to GTB Hospital where he died,” said ADCP Meena.

While the officer claimed that there were no visible external injury marks on Yadav’s body, Gopal said he noticed some blue and black marks on his limbs.

“The death is being probed by a magistrate. We have interrogated the suspended policemen during which they maintained that they didn’t touch Yadav,” said ADCP Meena.

Yadav’s father, Ram Gulam, however, refused to accept the police’s version. “My son was a lean man but he never suffered from any ailments. So, I can’t believe that he simply died of natural causes after walking into a police station,” said Gulam.

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