Lucknow: A 35-year-old Dalit man who was later identified as Gautam was beaten to death by policemen in Farrukhabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The incident happened within the limits of Merapur police station of the district, following a raid at Gautam’s residence on the night of June 24.
A first information report was registered against 10 policemen after a massive protest from family members. At first, Gautam’s family did not allow police to take his body for autopsy.
The FIR was registered against Merapur police station officer Jagdish Varma, sub-inspector Vishwajeet Arya, constables Sachin, Nikhil, and six unnamed policemen on the complaint of Gautam’s family.
On 24 June, the policemen took Gautam from his house at around 1am and beat him to death in a nearby field, family members of the deceased alleged. The cops ran away when other villagers reached the site, they said in the complaint.
“We begged for my husband’s life but the police didn’t leave him till he was dead. My husband has been killed because he is a Dalit,” wife of the deceased wrote in the complaint.
“When I resisted, I was pushed around and he (Gautam) was taken some 100m away from our house in the field,” Gautam’s brother Bobby said.
“I went after them but the policemen did not allow me to reach my brother. I could hear his screams as they kept beating him,” he said. Family members also alleged that Gautam’s body was forcibly cremated at the behest of the local police. Web Desk
