DEHRA DUN: The people here are seething with anger against the police for the recent death in police custody of a Harijan youth and the beating up of school children by the guardians of the law.
Prominent persons, including Mr Kushalpal Singh of the Kisan Union, Surinder Kumar, coordinator of Chaupal, a group comprising residents of some local Villages, and Ms.Manorama Sharma, a social worker, have formed a samiti to launch an agitation exposing the police atroci ties and to press for a CBI probe.
The samiti members showed this correspondent the marks left by police torture on 11 year old Sonu, 13 year old Gopal and 20 year old Bablu while they were in custody.
Sonvalleged he was given third degree treatment at the police Station, tied with a rope with his head down, asked to sleep on nails and repeatedly subjected to verbal abuse, The police suspected him of stealing two cooking gas cylinders and some other items.
Sukkad, father of two victims of police atrocities, said the cops picked up his two sons, Bablu and Ashok, on March 29 from their hut in Ajabpur village and took them to the police station. The two were beaten and threatened that their parents would be arrested if they did not tell the police about their elder brother, Bhupinder, whom the police suspected to be involved in a case of theft. On March 31, the police took the boys to Rishikesh, where Bhupinder was arrested from the house of his brother in law. According to the first information report filed by Sukkad, his son was repeatedly tortured at the police station. Unable to take any more, he died on March31. Around 1:30am on April 1, the police took him to Doon Government Hospital and then to Meerut, where he was declared dead.
Surprisingly, the body was not handed over to the members of Bhupinder’s family and cremated by the police at Meerut only after postmortem, Bablu, the younger son of Sukkad, was taken by the police to Meerut the next day and allegedly asked to sign some blank
Social workers Manorama Sharma and Surinder Kumar suspect foul play, they say that Bhupinder died at the police station itself and a drama was en acted by the police in Doon Government Hospital. They question that it was strange that the youth who had large injury marks on his body was diagnosed as “under observation” and no immediate treatment ordered.
The two leaders say that the drama had been enacted to cover police atrocities and to cremate the body at Meerut to check an agitation over the issue.
The district magistrate. Shishir Priyararshi, has ordered a magisterial probe into the case which includes investigation into the death of Bhupinder in police custody, role of different policemen, and beating up of other children the police department has not taken any action against its erring personnel.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 30, 1993
