A man detained in connection with a case of loot died in police custody after allegedly consuming poison, officials said on Tuesday, 29 October.
Satya Prakash Shukla (50) and his sons were detained by police on Monday, 28 October night in connection with a loot of Rs 26 lakh from a bank employee in Peeparpur area, Additional Superintendent of Police Dayaram said.
Shukla allegedly consumed poison and was rushed to a hospital in Sultanpur, where he died during treatment, he said.
However, family members of Shukla alleged that he was tortured by police and killed in custody.
Meanwhile, on the directives of Superintendent of Police, Sultanpur, Himanshu Kumar, a case was registered at the Kotwali police station against unknown police personnel under various sections of the IPC, including Section 302 (punishment for murder). The Amethi ASP, however, termed the allegations baseless.
“When police had gone to question the accused person in the case pertaining to the loot of Rs 26 lakh, he went inside his house and consumed poison.”Amethi Additional SP
Later in the evening, a senior UP government official in Lucknow said, "The facts, which have emerged in the probe, suggest that the doctor of the hospital where he was first admitted in a report had said about consuming a poisonous substance. The doctor has included this point in his report. As per the post-mortem report, there is no injury mark on the body."
Reacting to the incident, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, "The allegations of the family members of Satya Prakash Shukla that he was administered third degree torture should be probed in an impartial manner. Otherwise, the remaining trust of people in the BJP government will also vanish."
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