Kin of dead jail inmate protest against police

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 8

Kin of a jail inmate staged a protest against the police after laying his body on a road at the main intersection of Chaunta village today.

Sunny Kumar (25), an undertrial in a drug peddling case, had died at the PGIMER, Chandigarh, three days ago.

The protesters blamed the police for implicating him in a false case of drug peddling. They raised slogans against the police, demanding action against the police personnel allegedly responsible for his death.

Sunny was booked under the NDPS Act on June 25. The police had claimed that 25-gm heroin was allegedly recovered from him. He was lodged in Ludhiana Central Jail.

Deceased’s brother Harpreet Singh said his brother was implicated in a false case by the police.

“My brother had told me that the police had thrashed and given electric shock to him in the lockup at the Koom Kalan police station. My brother was brutally tortured,” he added.

The kin had earlier refused to cremate the body, demanding action against the accused police personnel. They continued their protest for four hours.

After getting an assurance from the ADCP-4, Ajinder Singh, that medical and autopsy reports were awaited and further action would be taken only after they were out, the family agreed and the body was cremated today.

The police claimed that as per doctors, Sunny was also a patient of Hepatitis-C as he was a drug addict.

The police claimed that Sunny had not died due to police torture. The SHO of the Koom Kalan police station had earlier stated that Sunny was never beaten up or tortured at the police station. He had stated that all allegations against the police were false.