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UP man’s death in police custody sparks row, Priyanka Gandhi visits kin in Agra
Arun Kumar, 31, died in police custody after his health suddenly deteriorated during interrogation late on Tuesday, said UP police.
Agra A Dalit sanitation worker died in police custody after being arrested on charges of theft in Agra, triggering a political storm on Wednesday with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra briefly stopped on her way to meet the kin of the deceased.
Arun Kumar, 31, died in police custody after his health suddenly deteriorated during interrogation late on Tuesday, said Agra police. He was arrested on charges of stealing ₹25 lakh from maal khana (storage room where confiscated items are kept) of Jagdishpura police station in Agra on Sunday.
“Kumar was picked up from Tajganj area on Tuesday and during interrogation, he admitted to his involvement in the theft and said that the stolen cash was kept in his house. A police team recovered ₹15 lakh cash from his house. However, during the recovery, he suddenly fell ill and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared ‘brought dead’ by doctors,” Muniraj G, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Agra, said.
The kin of the deceased, however, alleged that Kumar was tortured by police. They demanded a compensation of ₹1 crore, a government job and action against the concerned policemen.
“A case has been registeredunder section 302 (murder) of IPC onthe basis of a complaint by the kin of the deceased who has sought action against the concerned policemen. The district magistrate was contacted and the body was sent for post mortem. Further action will be taken on the basis of the post-mortem report and the investigation,” the SSP said.
Following the theft on Sunday, six policemen, including the station house officer, were suspended for negligence.
The death was condemned by Opposition politicians in the state that goes to the polls in early 2022 with the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party attacking the state government.
Priyanka Gandhi left Lucknow by road for Agra at about 3 pm, but was stopped by Lucknow Police at the Lucknow-Agra Expressway on the grounds that the Agra district magistrate (DM) had requested to refrain political leaders from visiting the area.
“Do I need somebody’s permission whenever I move out of Lucknow? Is there a problem... why am I not being allowed to go to Agra, is there a law and order issue?” she asked policemen who stopped her motorcade.
“Someone has died, how can it be a law and order issue? Ask the DM by calling him. It is too much that I cannot go out anywhere and should remain confined in a guest house in Lucknow,” she added.
Police said she was neither taken into custody nor arrested. “Because of the massive crowds, the movement of traffic was being hampered and she was first asked to either go to the party office or her residence but when she did not agree, she was sent to the police lines,” Lucknow police commissioner D K Thakur was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The Congress UP in-charge was later allowed to proceed along with three others, party spokesperson Anshu Awasthi confirmed. She reached Agra at 10.30 pm and met Kumar’s family at around 11.30 pm.
“A high-level investigation should be held and action taken against the policemen, and the victim’s family should get compensation,” Priyanka Gandhi tweeted.
Lucknow Police later allowed four people, including state Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu and senior leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam, to accompany Priyanka to the spot.
The sanitation worker’s death was also condemned by BSP chief Mayawati. “The death of a sanitation worker in police custody in Agra is very sad and shameful. The UP government should give strict punishment to the culprits and should also provide help to the victim’s family in every way. This is the BSP’s demand,” she tweeted.
Celebrations to mark Valmiki Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Valmiki who wrote the Hindu epic Ramayana, were called off in the district on Wednesday.
“There is much anger and grief among Valmikis in the city over the death of community member Arun Kumar, allegedly in police custody. We have called off all celebrations and will not stop till his family gets justice,” Vinod Allahabadi, senior vice president of Local Self Body Workers’ Union, said.
“We demand a compensation of ₹1 crore for family members of the deceased, a government job to one of his dependents and prison for guilty policemen against whom a case for murder should be registered. In case the administration fails to meet the demands, the Valmiki community will not hesitate to go on a strike across Agra Nagar Nigam,” he added.
