UP man who attempted suicide in police custody, dies in hospital

Aligarh, Feb 15 (IANS) A man, who attempted suicide in police custody alleging torture, died on Thursday in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh.

A police inspector and an Inquiry Officer (IO) have been suspended in connection with the case.

The deceased Gaurav was accused of eloping with a girl from his village.

The allegations were levied by Veerpal, the father of the girl, along with his associate, Sadhu Shyam Singh Suman, the head of the Devri village, who had abducted the victim from his house on February 3.

Gaurav's mother and sister said that he was assaulted by the village head, along with five others.

Later, as he was sent to police custody, he was physically assaulted for nearly seven days by the police, Gaurav's family said.

Gaurav attempted suicide at the police station on February 9 and was rushed to a hospital, where he died on Thursday.

Following the man's death, the police registered a case, naming Veerpal and Suman, along with some unknown police officers.

Later, Inspector Yatendra Pratap and Inquiry Officer Gaya Prasad were suspended.

Meanwhile, the family of the victim demanded justice in the case and said the police and the village head should be punished.

A heavy police security has been deployed in the village to avoid any untoward incidents.