Man dies in police custody at Kareli in MP, 5 cops suspended

A 22-year-old man Wednesday died under mysterious circumstances in police custody at Kareli in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh, prompting the authorities to order a judicial probe, an officer said.

Five personnel of Kareli police station were suspended in connection with the death, the officer added.

The family members of the victim, Anuraj Rajput, alleged that he died of police excesses and refuted the police's claim that he consumed 'sulphas' in the lock-up.

Talking to PTI over phone, district superintendent of police Dharmendra Singh Bhadoria said Kareli police station in-charge inspector Arvind Choubey, sub inspector Jagdish Yadav, assistant sub inspector Basant Sharma, head constable Birju Thakur and constable Rajkumar have been placed under suspension in connection with the case.

When asked about when Rajput was arrested, Bhadoria said as per the police records, he was arrested on Tuesday.

He, however, added, "A judicial probe will reveal the real cause of his death and when he was arrested."