Man dies in police custody, cop suspended in UP

A 20-year-old man who was arrested on charges of illicit liquor trade allegedly died in police custody here, following which a sub-inspector was suspended, an official said Monday.

Chotu alias Vinay and his brother were arrested by the Kishni Police on Saturday in connection with alleged illicit liquor trade, he said.

On Sunday, they were sent to jail where Chotu fell ill and was taken to the prison hospital. When his condition deteriorated, he was rushed to the district hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Claiming that the two men were innocent, the family members of the deceased said Chotu was "tortured" by police at Mainpuri Kotwali and in jail.

According to the postmortem report, the deceased had suffered 17 internal injuries and the liver was badly damaged.

Based on a complaint lodged by Chotu's uncle Tilak Singh, an FIR was registered against Sub-Inspector Sohanpal Singh of Kotwali and the jail administration, SP Ajay Shanker Rai said.

The sub-inspector was suspended and investigations were underway to ascertain the facts about the incident, and all those found guilty would be punished, he added.