Local police in Rataul, a village in Western Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, are accused of custodial torture after a labourer succumbed to injuries in a hospital on Sunday evening. 26-year-old Sajid Abbasi’s death after brief detention triggered tensions in the region.
The family of the deceased alleged that the young man was severely beaten up and unconscious when he was released. Relatives and villagers created a stir by keeping the body at the Rataul bus stand.
Shahabuddin, Abbasi’s elder brother, told Maktoob that his brother was picked up by police after being mistaken for being a gambler. The mango fields near their home are infamous for gambling.
“Police were chasing some gamblers and they picked my brother who was returning home. He tried pleading with them that he was not a gambler. But the four policemen started thrashing him. He was arrested and taken to the chowki, where they beat him up even more. He was unconscious when my father reached the chowki to inquire about the issue,” Shahabuddin said.
The 26-year-old died at a hospital in Khekra. Sajid Abbasi and his three brothers worked as labourers. He had three children and his wife is currently expecting.
“We didn’t try to create a scene. We just took the body and sat on the road so that the authorities might give some attention to our loss, to this injustice that has ruined our family.”
Upon being asked if anyone from the police authority or administration has reached out to the family, to which Sabuddin told, that no one contacted them.
Police conducted a postmortem before the body was released for the funeral. The family has decided to register an FIR as soon as the funeral has been executed.
Saher Hiba Khan contributed to this report.
