2018 Agra custodial death: 17 cops namedin CID chargesheet for ‘culpable homicide’

Agra: A total of 17 UP police personnel, including then inspector in-charge of Sikandra police station in Agra, two sub inspectors and four head constables, have been named in a chargesheet by UP crime investigation dept (CID) for "culpable homicide" in a case related to the custodial death of a 32-year-old man, Raju Gupta, in 2018.The chargesheet report has been sent to UP home dept for approval and "will thereafter be filed before the court". Investigation in the case was transferred from Agra police to CID on NHRC's direction to "ensure a fair probe".As per the complaint, Gupta, who used to live with his mother, was picked up by a police team from his Agra house on Nov 21, 2018, on charges of theft after his neighbour, Anshul Pratap Singh, alleged he had stolen jewellery worth Rs 7 lakh. Gupta was abused and beaten up allegedly by police personnel at the local thana reportedly in front of his mother, Renu Gupta (55). His health soon worsened and he died in hospital on Nov 22.An FIR was subsequently registered against "unnamed police personnel" under IPC sections 302 (murder), among others, following a complaint by Gupta's mother at Sikandra thana on Nov 23, 2018. His neighbour was also named in the FIR.During the probe, then SSP Amit Pathak had suspended inspector Rishipal Singh, SIs Anuj Sirohi and Tejveer Singh of Sikandra police station, and lodged an FIR against all those posted there.Pathak, now DIG (Devipatan range), said, "We investigated the case on merit and took action against the erring police personnel."Besides naming Rishipal, Anuj and Tejveer in the chargesheet, the CID probe also named head constables Ram Kishan, Devendra Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Ranjeet, and constables Harish Chandra, Brijesh Kumar, Himanshu Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Rajesh, Satendra Singh, Sanjeev, Anil Kumar, Jogesh Kumar and Sanjay Kumar as "prima facie guilty in the case".In addition, a separate chargesheet by Agra police named neighbour Anshul Singh and his aides Vivek Sikarwar and Anuj Sirohi under section 304 (culpable homicide).Raju Gupta's uncle Ashok Gupta, a retired bank manager, said, "After my nephew's custodial death, we pursued the case with the NHRC, and the matter was transferred to the CID in five-six months. He was mentally weak and a soft target. The CID probe team has named 17 cops under IPC section 304 (culpable homicide) in the chargesheet, but it is a clear case of murder."Ashok added: "Raju's mother died in Aug 2019. She was waiting for justice... His father, a retired bank officer, passed away in 2001."Agra-based activist Vinay Agarwal, who helped Gupta's mother to fight the case, said police initially insisted on a quick postmortem to cover up the matter, but relented and the autopsy was conducted in the presence of a panel of doctors, and proper videography.