“Friends, if someone does not believe then take off my pants and see. You will find blood-clotting all over my back. I am going to kill myself after this as I do not want to live anymore. My right hand has been broken. What will I do now in my life?” in a recorded clip, says the Dalit youth who committed suicide after Uttar Pradesh police tortured and humiliated him for going outside to buy food items ( ‘breaking COVID-19 quarantine rules’ in Police records).
Roshan Lal, a 27-year-old migrant worker who had returned from Gurgaon to his native place in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh died on Tuesday by suicide in a school campus where he was quarantined.
Three purported audio clips recorded by Lal, suggest that he was beaten up by a constable in public for ‘defying the quarantine guidelines’, prompting him to end his life.
In the audio clips, Lal can be heard saying that those who don’t believe him must see his pants which, he said, “only has blood” because he was “brutally thrashed by a policeman for breaking the quarantine”.
He said his right hand has stopped working. Demanding strict action against the police constable Anoop Kumar Singh and accusing the chowki-in charge of not helping him, Roshan Lal said that he would end his life.
I stepped out to get flour because we did not have anything at my home to eat: Lal’s last words
“Hello Namaskar friends, my name is Roshan Lal. I am very upset today. My only fault is that I stepped out (of the school where he was put in quarantine) to get flour because we did not have anything at my home to eat. A policeman named Anoop Singh has thrashed me so badly that my right hand has stopped working. Perhaps, it is broken now. Don’t ask how helpless I am feeling right now.”
“I want to tell you if after my death someone says that I was tested COVID-19 positive, that is wrong. I tested negative and I have the result also. I want to end my life. But I want that action must be taken against Anoop Kumar Singh. Anoop Kumar has done grave injustice. I am feeling very helpless.”
“Friends, if someone does not believe then take off my pants and see. You will not find anything but blood-clotting all over my back. I am going to commit suicide after this as I do not want to live anymore. My hand has been broken. What will I do now in my life?”
“Despite this, nobody came forward to help me that is why I am taking this extreme step.”
“I have a saving of Rs 80,000 in PNB bank, which should be given to my mother. There is another saving of Rs 20,000 in Allahabad Bank, which too should be given to my mother.”
“The contractor owes me Rs 25,000, which also should be given to my mother”
“Strictest action must be taken against Anoop Kumar Singh. He has beaten me mercilessly. You will not find anything but blood clotting all over my back. I am committing suicide because of this only.”
“Anoop came there and asked if I am Roshan. I said yes. He beat me up severely. My right hand is not working. Then he made me speak to the chowki in-charge. I asked him to help me get treated. He did not help me.”
Police refused to register FIR
However, no FIR has been registered so far.
After Lal committed suicide, his family members tried to lodge an FIR against constable Anoop Kumar, but the UP police refused to do so.
Speaking to media, Lal’s sister-in-law Sangeeta said, “There was no food at home and this is why he came out from the school where he was kept in quarantine and went to buy wheat. He was brutally beaten up by a local cop. He was very upset after being beaten up by the policeman.”
No evidence to substantiate allegations against a cop: District Magistrate
District Magistrate Shailendra Pratap Singh, in a statement, said, “We are investigating the matter. The post-mortem report also rules out any external injury due to thrashing. It is clear that the youth committed suicide but there are no evidence to substantiate allegations against a cop.”
“However, he has been attached to the police line and a DSP level officer has been directed to conduct a fair probe. Action will be taken on the basis of his report,” he added.
We honor him and will continue to fight for justice in his name: Equality Labs
“We are so saddened and outrages to hear of the death of Roshan Lal a Dalit youth who was tortured by UP Police and committed suicide,” Equality Labs, a digital human rights group said in a Facebook post.
“We honor him and will continue to fight for justice in his name,” it said.
Take action now by posting your demand for justice to Uttar Pradesh Police Yogi Adityanath and demand that Anoop Kumar, who brutalized Roshan, be held accountable and removed from his post,” Equality Labs demanded.
