Lakhimpur Kheri, UP:
Family members of a man who died following a police raid here have demanded action against some cops, alleging his death happened in police custody.
Police have denied their claims, saying he was an accused under the Gangster Act and collapsed while fleeing the police during the raid on Monday night.
A purported video of a deputy superintendent of police speaking to the grieving family members of the deceased man has surfaced online.
In the video, Lakhimpur DSP PP Singh is heard saying that there won’t be any action against police officers over the incident. “Neither (SHO of) Nighasan (police station) will be suspended nor (SHO of) Majhgain will be suspended. Nor will you get Rs 30 lakh (as compensation),” he says in the video.
“Do whatever you can. Keep the body for as many days,” the DSP says before walking away.
The family members refused to conduct the last rites before their demands for an investigation into the incident and fair compensation were met.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, too, shared the video on his social media accounts and called the ruling BJP a “heartless party”.
भाजपा हृदयहीन पार्टी है। pic.twitter.com/ffI98Sbsds
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 8, 2025
According to the family members of Ramachandra (35), he was arrested by police on charges of being involved in making illicit liquor on Monday night.
They said that despite pleading his innocence, Ramchandra was allegedly held in police custody, where his health deteriorated rapidly. Police later took him to a health centre where he was pronounced dead, they claimed.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Pawan Gautam, however, claimed that Ramchandra was an accused under the Gangster Act and had collapsed while fleeing from the police during the raid.
Insisting that Ramachandra did not die in custody, Mr Gautam said that the matter was now under investigation.
The ASP added, “The post-mortem was done by a panel of doctors and was video recorded. As per post-mortem findings, the death was caused by shock. The viscera has been preserved.” Following Ramchandra’s death, his relatives and local villagers staged a protest at the health centre, accusing the police of causing his death. They demanded an investigation and a compensation of Rs 30 lakh.
They also refused to perform the deceased’s last rites until their demands were met. The family also alleged that the police forcibly took the body to Lakhimpur for post-mortem without their consent.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
