The kidnapping charge against a young Muslim man, who died in police custody in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj district earlier this month, will be dropped, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday, quoting the police.
The girl that 22-year-old Altaf was accused of kidnapping had been found last week. She is not a minor, the police said.
The woman, who is reportedly 19, recorded her statement before a magistrate on Monday. She said that Altaf had promised to marry her, The Hindu. Atlaf reportedly had asked the woman go to Agra with his friend, adding that he would join them later.
Altaf had been taken in for questioning on November 9 based on a complaint filed by the woman’s family. The police claimed that during questioning, he asked for permission to go to the washroom and hung himself from a tap just two feet above the ground using a drawstring from the hood of his jacket.
The man’s family has alleged that he had been murdered and demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation carry out an inquiry into his death.
Altaf had been booked under Sections 363 (kidnapping) and 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage) of the Indian Penal Code, according to The Indian Express.
The woman’s father had said in her complaint that she was a minor. “It was found that she is 19 years old,” Kasganj Superintendent of Police Botre Rohan Pramod told the newspaper. “The section of kidnapping that had earlier been added to the FIR will be removed. Once the copy of her [the woman’s] statement before the magistrate is obtained, further action will be considered.”
However, the police will continue investigating the charges of “abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage”, the officer told the Hindustan Times.
Altaf’s death in police custody had triggered condemnation. An FIR had been filed against unidentified police officers in connection with the death.
Later, in a purported letter, Altaf’s father Chand Miyan absolved the Uttar Pradesh Police of any blame for his son’s death. But, Altaf’s father later claimed that the police had made him sign the letter without showing him the contents. Chand Miyan also said that he was illiterate and was not aware of what he was signing.
In India, five people die in official custody every day. How does the law deal with these?
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