3 FEARED TRAPPED IN ILLEGAL COAL MINE
MIDNAPORE: Three workers are feared trapped in an illegal coal mine in West Bengal’s west Burdwan as efforts to rescue them did not yield any positive result till Monday evening, the police said. The incident happened around 230 km from Kolkata. Those trapped have been identified as Santosh Marandi, Kalicharan Kisku and Binay Murmu — all residents of Bijli area near the mine. “We heard that four persons went inside the mine and one of them somehow managed to come out. The mine rescue team of ECL [Eastern Coalfields Ltd] are trying their best to save them. Police personnel are also present,” said Somenath Bhattacharya, inspector-in-charge of Kulti police. MEERUT: The Uttar Pradesh police suspended three policemen and ordered an inquiry against them after relatives of a 31-year-old man alleged that he died after he was thrashed in custody.
Additional director general of police Prashant Kumar said Pradeep Kumar’s family alleged that he died due to “brutality” at Chijarsi police post in Hapur on Sunday. He added that inspector Yogesh Baliyan, police post in-charge Ajab Singh and constable Manish Kumar have been suspended considering the gravity of the allegations. Prashant Kumar added that further probe will be conducted after Pradeep’s postmortem report is released.
Pradeep Kumar was a resident of Lakhan village in Pilkhua.
Ajit Tomar, a former head of Lakhan village, alleged that the police picked up Pradeep Kumar without giving any explanation or mentioning the charges under which he was being detained. “They beat him up brutally and when his condition deteriorated, a police officer admitted him to the Meerut Medical College and left. When we spoke to the hospital staff, they told us that Pradeep Kumar was brought dead,” said Tomar. ASP Sarvesh Misra said Pradeep was arrested in connection with the murder of his wife. Police had found a link between the killers and Pradeep and he was picked up for interrogation.
Pradeep’s family earlier staged a sit-in at the Meerut Medical College and demanded that a case against the policemen.