Lakhimpur Kheri police have registered a murder FIR (First Information Report) against two policemen in connection with the death of a 50-year-old Dalit man who died in custody.
The FIR was registered against the unidentified in-charge of Piparchala police outpost and head constable Brij Pal after the family members of the deceased, Asaram, and villagers protested and blocked a highway.
Asaram’s family alleged that he was severely beaten and given electric shocks, leading to his death. His son, Rohit, said that after the police officers visited their home on Friday morning, Asaram went to the police station in the afternoon. Rohit claimed that around 7 pm, he received a call from the police station, asking him to come and take away his father. However, Rohit sent his younger brother instead, and the policemen then took Asaram to a community health centre, where he was declared dead at the district hospital around 11 pm.
Initially, the police had said that Asaram complained of stomach ache and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the police, Asaram was detained for questioning in a case related to the murder of a 5-year-old girl who lived in his neighbourhood. The girl’s body was found on April 3, about 150 meters away from her home, and the postmortem report stated that she died due to strangulation.
The two policemen have now been booked under IPC (Indian Penal Code) sections for murder and wrongful confinement. The protesters ended their demonstration after getting an assurance of “swift action” from the authorities, and Asaram’s body has been sent for a postmortem examination.
