The Kanpur city of Uttar Pradesh has seen disturbance on August 4, 2016, as a Dalit young boy was found dead in the police station. The boy was 26-year-old, who was found dead under suspicious circumstances and his body was found hanging in the room inside the Police Post. The incident followed with the suspension of 14 policemen including a murder case filed against 5 of them.
The disturbing incident has lead to violent protests all around the area of Chakeri as soon as the news of the death of Kamal Valmiki at the Ahirwan police station reached to his parents and family. His family has blamed the Police officers for this incident and alleges that he died due to police brutality.
Kamal Valmiki was arrested and brought to the police station 2 days back for investigating a theft in the area. Nothing could be said surely as the post-mortem report is yet to come but the family of Valmiki, especially his younger brother Nirmal says, “We were beaten as if we were footballs. They said to me – either confess or we will kill your brother”.
The family has many allegations over the police including that they have tried to hush up the death and have initially sent the body for postmortem under a false name of “Raju”. The family also claims that how could Kamal find a rope in the presence of so many Policemen to hang himself?
“The family has said that a constable had taken Valmiki for questioning and then this incident took place,” said Shalabh Mathur, SSP Mathura police. “On the basis of their complaint, we are registering a case of murder and the entire police chowki has been suspended. If other police personnel is involved we will act against them too,” he added. The UP Police Chief said, “A custody death is absolutely unacceptable and all the culprits will be punished seriously. No one will be spared”.
In the evening, the area was gripped with tension as a mob of Kamal Valmiki’s family and locals had a clash with the police. The police had to then use batons to control the crowd.
The incident is going to put Akhilesh’s Government into trouble as the opposition will take the full advantage of the situation in next year’s assembly elections. Dalits form 26% of the total electorate and are already in anger and protesting against the “COW VIGILANTISM” incident which took place in Una district of Gujarat where four Dalit men were stripped, beaten and hauled around tied to an SUV after they were accused of cow slaughter.
