A 25-year-old man arrested for allegedly stealing some mustard seed died in police custody after falling ill, police said on Wednesday, 28 August, but the family has alleged he was tortured.
Shivam was arrested by the Punnuganj police on Monday and he fell ill on Tuesday evening, the police said, adding the man was taken to the district hospital where he died.
Station House Officer Ram Narain Ram of Pannuganj police station has been suspended after the custodial death and a murder case has been lodged against him and one other unnamed person, Additional Superintendent of Police O P Singh said.
The victim's family, however, alleged that Shivam was "mercilessly beaten" in the police station because of which he died.
"He was fine when we had met him on Tuesday around 5 pm but around 7 pm we got the news through the gram pradhan that he was taken ill," Shivam's father Umapati Shukla said.
Shukla alleged the station house officer "murdered his son" and demanded strict action against him.
The family members also staged a sit-in on Varanasi-Skaktinagar road demanding the arrest of suspended SHO.
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