India News | UP Govt, Police Responsible for Businessman's Death in Kanpur: SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav

Kanpur (UP), Dec 19 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday alleged that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh and the police were responsible for the custodial death of a businessman in Kanupr Dehat district.

Yadav demanded that the government should provide a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the bereaved family and a government job to the deceased's wife.

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Businessman Balwant Singh (27) died in police custody on the intervening night of December 12 and 13 in Kanpur Dehat. The post-mortem examination had revealed that the deceased had about 24 anti-mortem injuries, including on the chest, face, thighs, legs, hands and soles.

Yadav said the government should hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or inquire into the matter under the supervision of a sitting judge.

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He said the police, whose job is to ensure the safety and security of people, “killed” a businessman in their custody.

“Who has given much freedom to police, everybody knows,” the SP chief said, talking to media persons.

Attacking the BJP, Yadav said it wanted to create a “police state” in Uttar Pradesh, because of which the police has “crossed its limits”.

“UP stood at first rank in custodial deaths in India,” he said, adding the custodial deaths reported in Gorakhpur, Gonda, Bahraich, Kannauj and Jhansi showed the “brutal face” of the police and people have lost faith in the force.

Balwant Singh was tortured for more than three hours and the people who saw his body or photos must have felt how much pain he had to endure, the SP leader said.

Though the businessman had died, police mounted pressure on doctors to treat and later tried to dump the body to save themselves from action, he alleged.

Earlier, Yadav's cavalcade reached Saraiyya Lalpur village where a huge crowd had gathered.

He met the victim's wife, Shalini, his father and sister and announced that the Samajwadi Party would provide monetary help to the aggrieved family.

Shalini had written a letter to Yadav asking him to help and ensure justice for the family.

"With folded hands, I request you to visit our village to meet me and other family members and do your best to provide justice to us," she had written in the letter.

After spending over half an hour with the family, Yadav left for Kanpur Nagar district jail where he met jailed SP MLA Irfan Solanki.

Solanki was sent to jail on December 2 for alleged arson, land grabbing and other cases.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)