Cops beat labourer to death in custody

LUCKNOW: Police in Bareilly allegedly thrashed a labourer to death after pocketing Rs 10,000 in cash which he was carrying. The incident that led to angry protests resulting in blockage of NH-24, saw senior police officers order for registration of murder case against the accused cops, who were said to be absconding to evade arrest.
Reports said that the sequence of events began around midnight on Sunday when Saleem alias Danna along with Rehmat, Kallu and Chotu -- all residents of Prehladpur village under Bhojipura police station of Bareilly were on their way home from Laherpur.The four had gone to collect the advance payment of Rs 10,000 from the owner of a brick kiln in Laherpur for supply of mud.
They had barely reached the main road leading to their village when a police jeep intercepted the four. The policemen, including station officer (SO) Rahul Shukla and his police escort, frisked the four and recovered Rs 10,000 in cash from Saleem. Accusing the four of being involved in robberies, the police allegedly bundled the four into the police jeep and took them to the police station.
At the police station, SO Rahul Shukla ordered constable Ramanpal Singh and others to make Saleem sing. Subsequently, the SO too joined the constables, who together allegedly tortured the four till Saleem hit the ground unconscious and died. In the morning when locals came to know about the incident, they gheraoed the police station demanding arrest of the accused police officers. The protesters then blocked the NH-24 to press for their demands.
After the senior officials reached the site and discovered that the four were brought to the police station despite the fact that no case was pending against them, they ordered for suspension of the SO with immediate effect and lodging of a murder case against SO Rahul Shukla, constable Ramanpal Singh and other policemen on duty at the police station.
Shortly after the FIR was lodged, the accused policemen reportedly fled the police station and were absconding to evade arrest. Senior officials told TOI that the police did bring the accused to the police station after recovery of Rs 10,000 in cash from one of them to interrogate if the money was legal and that it was not the proceeds of any criminal act.
On the other hand, family members of Saleem quoting the three locals who were rounded up by the police along with the victim, alleged that the intention of the police was to rob the cash and book the innocent in a fake case to keep them quiet about it. Officials, however, maintained that the cops were suspicious that the seized cash was illegal money and were interrogating the accused to identify the real source of the cash when Saleem died.