Lakhimpur Kheri police on Saturday evening registered a murder FIR against two policemen in connection with the death of a 50-year-old Dalit man, who died in custody after he was detained for questioning in connection with the murder of a girl. The FIR against the unidentified in-charge of Piparchala police outpost and head constable Brij Pal was registered after the family members of Asaram and villagers protested and blocked the Lakhimpur-Maigalganj highway. Asaram’s family alleged that he was severely beaten and given electric shocks, leading to his death. In his complaint to the police, his son alleged that after the in-charge of Piparchala police outpost and head constable Brij Pal visited his residence looking for his father on Friday morning, Asaram went to the police station in the afternoon. Asaram’s son, Rohit, alleged that around Friday 7 pm, he received a call from the police station, directing him to come and take away his father. Instead, Rohit sent his younger brother to the police station. The policemen then took him to a community health center (CHC), where Asaram was brought. “Due to Asaram's deteriorating condition, the doctors at the CHC referred him to the district hospital for treatment. At the hospital, the doctors declared him dead at around 11:00 pm,” Rohit stated. Initially, the police said that Asaram complained of stomach ache and was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Sources in the police said that Asaram was detained for questioning in a case of a murder of a five-year-old girl, who used to stay in his neighbourhood. According to police, the body of the five-year-old girl, who had gone missing, was found on April 3, barely 150 metres away from her home. “The girl was a neighbour of Asaram, who is a farmer. The postmortem report of the girl stated that the death occurred due to strangulation. The girl’s family lodged a complaint with the police and subsequently, an FIR was lodged. The police were informed about the suspected role of Asaram in the murder. He was subsequently called to the police station for questioning,” said a police officer. “Asaram arrived at the police station on Friday and after some time, he complained of severe stomach pain. He was immediately transferred to the hospital where he was pronounced dead,” the officer added. Meanwhile, the two policemen have been booked under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 342 (wrongful confinement). Circle Officer (Kheri) Shamsher Bahadur Singh said the protestors ended their demonstration in the evening after getting assurance of “swift action”. “Asaram’s body has been sent for postmortem examination. The investigation into the case has begun,” the Circle Officer added.
