Suicide victim’s family alleges police inaction, stages protest

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 29

A day after a man ended his life by self-immolation over alleged police harassment, his family members and local BJP leaders held a dharna against the police for their failure to register an FIR against the cops named by him.

In a video that went viral, the deceased, Gurmukh Singh, had alleged harassment by three police personnel and a DSP-level officer. He named three police personnel, but not the DSP. He accused the three policemen of torturing him and his family members.

Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said, “Since the victim had a criminal background, we have constituted a team of senior police officials to look into the allegations made by him in the video. Once they are verified, we will initiate action.”

Family members of the deceased and local BJP leaders led by Jai Inder Kaur held a protest demanding the “arrest and registration of an FIR against the guilty police personnel”.

No senior officer was willing to comment on the issue.

“My brother-in-law would be summoned at odd hours and be humiliated. Even I was taken to the police station and tortured by these cops late at night. They demanded bribe, which we were unable to pay,” said the wife of Gurmukh’s brother.

Victim’s brother Gurcharan Singh claimed a similar incident had happened in the past wherein a Rajpura man had died by suicide after recording a video prompting the police to book a former MLA for abetting suicide. However, the police were dilly-dallying in this case. “The video is the dying declaration by my brother and it should be treated as such,” he said.

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