4 Etawah cops suspended over custody death

Firozabad: Etawah police have suspended four cops, including the station officer of Jaswantnagar police station, following the death of a Firozabad resident, Kallu Khan, 50, in police custody on Monday evening under mysterious conditions.
Khan had reportedly set himself on fire by dousing himself with kerosene while in police custody on November 22. He was shifted to the PGI hospital at Saifai, where he later succumbed to injuries.An FIR against eight members of Khan’s daughter’s in-laws has also been registered for the murder. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered by the Etawah district administration.
According to sources, Khan had married his daughter Asma to a Jaswantnagar resident Sonu, son of Sakur, five years ago. However, Asma’s parents-in-law started harassing her for dowry after she gave birth to a girl child.
Khan then brought her daughter back home and Asma filed a case against her in-laws under the Dowry Act.
Recently, Asma’s husband Sonu went missing and his family filed a police case at Jaswantnagar police station against Khan, accusing him of abducting his son-in-law. On November 17, Khan was picked up by Jaswantnagar police and taken to Etawah. On Novemebr 22, police claimed, Khan had allegedly set himself afire using kerosene after which he was admitted to the PGI, Saifai.
Following Khan’s death, CO Anil Kumar ordered the registration of an FIR against station officer of Jaswantnagar along with three other cops for “illegally confining Khan”.
Etawah police have registered a case against 13 people, including four cops under sections 343 (wrongful confinement), 302 (murder) and other sections.
Etawah SSP Rakesh Singh said, “A departmental inquiry will also be conducted against the erring cops. A magisterial inquiry has also been marked.
The accused cops have been identified as SO Shreedhar Singh, investigating officer Mohammad Afazhal, sub-inspector Vinod Kumar Diwedi and constable Arvind Yadav.
Meanwhile, Khan’s family reached Etawah on Monday night and staged a protest against the police, holding them responsible for his death. They questioned how Khan managed to get hold of kerosene in police custody.
Asma alleged that police had murdered her father in connivance with her husband’s family.
Khan’s body was brought to Ramgarh on Tuesday morning where a large crowd gathered and raised slogans against police. Later, the deceased was cremated under tight police presence.
Firozabad additional district magistrate Karmendra Singh assuaged the crowd and promised to take strict against the culprits.