A 17-year-old boy died in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district on Friday after he was allegedly assaulted in police custody for violating the coronavirus restrictions in the state, PTI reported. The state is under a partial “corona curfew” till 7 am on May 24 to curb the spread of infection.
A police constable has been suspended and a homeguard has been dismissed from service, said the police. Unnao Additional Superintendent of Police Shashi Shekhar said the accused will be booked for murder.
“Constable Vijay Chowdhary has been suspended with immediate effect in the matter and services of home guard Satyaprakash have been terminated,” the police said. “The entire matter will be probed and an FIR will be registered against the policemen.”
The incident took place when Mohammad Faisal was reportedly selling vegetables outside his house in Bangarmau town in Unnao beyond the curfew timings. Accused policeman Vijay Chowdhary and homeguard Satyaprakash allegedly started beating him for breaking curfew rules, alleged the boy’s father.
The teenager was arrested and taken to the local police station where officers assaulted the boy further, his family alleged. Following the assault, the boy’s condition deteriorated and he was taken to the Community Health Centre, where he was declared brought dead.
“We got a telephone call from a vendor who told us about the assault,” Faisal’s father told the Hindustan Times. “I reached the kotwali but by that time, he was taken to the hospital. On getting there, I learnt he was dead.”
Faisal’s family has filed a police complaint in which they alleged he lost consciousness after the assault but was still taken to the local police station. After Faisal’s death, the local residents protested at Lucknow road crossing, demanding action against the guilty, a government job and compensation for the boy’s family.
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