Custodial death: 8 more cops suspended in UP’s Gonda, tally reaches 10

Gonda (UP), September 18

The district superintendent of police (SP) on Sunday suspended eight more cops in connection with the death of a youth in custody, taking the total number of suspensions to 10.

Those suspended on Sunday are sub-inspector of surveillance cell Alok, head constable of Nawabganj police station Mithlesh Singh, constables Dharmendra and Manoj, head constables of Special Operations Group (SOG) Rakesh Singh and Arun Yadav, and constables Aditya Pal and Amit Pathak.

Dev Narayan Yadav alias Deva (22), an electrician, was called for questioning in a murder case on September 14.

According to SP Akash Tomar, Yadav’s condition suddenly deteriorated during the questioning and policemen took them to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

He said the SHO of Nawabganj police station and the SOG in-charge were suspended thereafter.

When the case was probed in detail, the department found laxity on part of eight other policemen and they, too, were suspended, the SP added.

Following Yadav’s death, locals had staged a protest and had vandalised police vehicles and attacked sleuths.

They had also damaged a petrol pump and overturned an ambulance that was en route to pick up a patient.