COP, HOME GUARD BOOKED FOR MURDER AFTER TEEN DIES IN ALLEGED ASSAULT

: A 17-year-old vegetable vendor died allegedly after a police constable and a home guard assaulted him publicly for selling vegetables in a market beyond the 3pm deadline in Unnao district’s Bangarmau on Friday. The deadline was in force as part of restrictions to contain Covid-19.

Unnao superintendent of police (SP) Anand Kulkarni has suspended constable Vijay Chowdhary and sacked home guard Satya Prakash after the alleged incident.

Later, on Friday night, a case of murder was registered against the two at the Bangarmau police station.

Unnao’s additional superintendent of police (ASP) Shashi Shekhar said the family had given a complaint.

In the FIR, the family alleged that the constable and home guard beat the vendor to death.

Additional SP Shashi Shekhar admitted the vendor was brought to the police station for violation of the corona curbs. His condition suddenly deteriorated and he was taken to hospi

tal where he died, he said.

On the other hand, the vendor’s father alleged that he became unconscious due to the assault in the market, yet he was bundled into a jeep and taken to the kotwali police station in Bangarmau where his condition worsened.

He was then taken to the Bangarmau community health centre where he was pronounced dead, his family members said in the complaint to the police.

The death sparked off widespread protests in Bangarmau where many local people took to the streets and put up a roadblock with the teen’s body near his house and the highway. The blockade was lifted after nearly eight hours when SP Anand Kulkarni and district magistrate Ravindra Kumar reached out the family, agreeing to a compensation of Rs 2 lakh at local level and said the government would be requested to consider the demand of Rs 50 lakh compensation.

The protesters were also demanding arrest of the policeman and the home guard, besides employment to one family member of the vendor.

The alleged incident took place when the policeman and the home guard were enforcing Covid restrictions.

The Unnao administration has allowed the sale of essential items for four hours in the district. The vendor was selling vegetables in the market and could not wind up his business in the given timeframe.

The policeman and the home guard allegedly chased the vendor and caught him after they flung a baton at him, and he fell as it hit his face.

“We got a call from another vendor who told us about the assault, detention and his condition. I reached the kotwali but by that time he was taken to hospital. On getting there, I learnt he was dead,” the father said, adding the police action was an eyewash.

Former minister Shakeel Ahmad who spoke to family members of the vendor said he was told by them that the police were protecting the others allegedly involved in the incident.

THE ALLEGED INCIDENT TOOK PLACE WHEN THE POLICEMAN AND THE HOME GUARD WERE ENFORCING COVID RESTRICTIONS