Three RPF personnel booked for murder, suspended after Dalit man dies in custody
Gonda, Nov. 7 -- A murder case was registered against two Railway Protection Force (RPF) sub-inspectors and a constable and all three were suspended after a 36-year-old Dalit man allegedly died in RPF custody in Gonda district late on Tuesday night, officials said on Thursday. The Dalit man's family claimed he was beaten during questioning over mustard oil theft. The victim was identified as Sanjay Sonkar of Kinki village in Gonda.
Based on his brother's complaint, the Gonda kotwali city police station registered a murder case against the two sub-inspectors and a constable.
Railway Protection Force inspector-in-charge Aniruddh Ray said on Thursday that following registration of the FIR, the accused sub-inspectors Surendra Kumar, Karan Singh and constable Amit Kumar had been suspended by senior department officials and that departmental action was under way against all involved.
RPF assistant security commissioner Mahendra Prasad Dubey said Sanjay's condition worsened during questioning and the cause of death would be confirmed after the post-mortem report.
The RPF personnel had picked up Sanjay Sonkar for questioning in connection with the theft of six tins of mustard oil from a goods train at Baruwachak railway station on September 28. They took him to Barua village on Tuesday and produced him before a shopkeeper for identification.
His brother Raju Sonkar alleged RPF sub-inspectors Surendra Kumar, Karan Singh, constable Amit Kumar and another personnel severely beat Sanjay Sonkar.
"After his death, they left the body at the (Gonda) medical college and fled. On Wednesday morning, we were told that Sanjay was admitted to the hospital," Raju Sonkar said.
Family members created a commotion at the mortuary on Wednesday morning on learning of the alleged custodial death....
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