Lucknow: Court rejects closure report in custodial death, orders probe

“The family of the deceased had challenged the closure report by filing a protest application. After hearing the case, the court directed a further investigation by an officer of Circle Officer rank,” said Virendra Bahadur Singh, Station House Officer of Akbarpur police station.
The case dates back to March 2021, when Zia-ud-din, a resident of a village in Azamgarh, was allegedly detained for questioning in a robbery case.

Zia-ud-din’s family had alleged that he was picked up by the SWAT team on March 24, 2021, while on his way to a relative’s house. The family claimed he died of severe police beating and his body had eight visible injury marks. Zia-ud-din is survived by his wife and two minor children.

Police, on the other hand, had initially dismissed the charges, and said that alleged that Zia-ud-din was detained as he was wanted in a case involving assault and robbery in Ambedkar Nagar. However, after protests, a murder case was registered on March 25, 2021, against eight policemen, including the in-charge of the SWAT team. In October 2022, the police filed a final closure report in the court, citing lack of evidence.