Jind rape-murder: Kin refuse to cremate body

Tribune News Service

Jhansa (Kurukshetra), Jan 17

Alleging police torture on two minor boys from the Balmiki community detained for questioning in the rape and murder case, the family members refused to cremate Gulshan’s body here today.

A large number of members of the Balmiki community, including women, gathered at the cremation ground. They refused to perform the last rites till a criminal case was registered against the erring police personnel.

After postmortem examination at the BPS Government Medical College in Khanpur, the police took Gulshan’s body to the cremation ground, located on the outskirts of the village. However, the family members demanded the release of all family members and relatives of Gulshan, who were taken into custody for questioning for certain leads in the case of rape and murder of a Dalit.

Aggrieved family members wanted the relatives to attend the funeral. As Gulshan’s brother and cousin were brought to the spot, the limping boys, claiming to be minors, alleged intense torture in police custody.

They told mediapersons that they were subjected to electric shocks in various body parts and other ways of physical torture.

Meanwhile, the district authorities deployed heavy posse of police personnel in the village.

Eighteen-year-old Gulshan was considered as a suspect in a murder of a minor Dalit from the same village. However, his body was found from a canal in Kirmach village of the district last night.