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Bengal police post set ablaze, cops thrashed after alleged custodial death
Police said that the man who was arrested during a raid on gambling and liquor dens probably died of a heart attack.
A mob on Sunday night torched a police outpost in Bengal’s Malda district and beat up policemen following the death of a middle-aged man after he was allegedly beaten up in custody.
The incident took place at Milki, about 327 km to the north of Kolkata.
Police arrested 15 people for allegedly setting fire to the outpost and attacking the policemen.
“On Sunday night, officers of Englishbazar police station and Milki police outpost were conducting raids in some local gambling and liquor dens. One of the gambling dens raided was near Niyamatpur bus stand area, and eight people including Ainul Sheikh (55) were arrested for gambling,” said Alok Rajoria, Malda’s superintendent of police.
Rajoria claimed when the arrested people were brought to the police outpost, Sheikh started feeling unwell and soon a doctor was called.
“After examining Ainul Sheikh the doctor referred him to Malda Medical College and Hospital as he probably suffered a cardiac arrest,” added Rajoria. When Sheikh was taken to the hospital, he was declared dead on arrival.
“When a police vehicle arrived at the outpost to take Sheikh to the hospital some locals and the relatives of the arrested people obstructed the police personnel from taking Sheikh to the hospital. The mob attacked the policemen and torched the outpost after vandalising it. Four police personnel were injured in the attack,” said Rajoria.
The four policemen were admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital.
However, a local man said on condition of anonymity that Sheikh was passing through the area when the police raided the gambling den.
“Suddenly a civic police grabbed him and beat him with a stick. When Sheikh protested, some policemen pushed him inside a police vehicle and took him to the outpost. He was beaten at the outpost for daring to challenge and pick up a quarrel with the policemen,” he alleged.
Sheikh Babur, the deputy head of Barbaria gram panchayat said, “Ainul is innocent and he wasn’t gambling. When the police went to raid a den, Sheikh, who was nearby, tried to flee and fell on the road after stumbling. The police then started beating him, took him to the outpost and thrashed him again.”
Those arrested have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
