Investigative Report: Three consecutive deaths during police raids, several questions for the Uttar Pradesh police

UP police facing questions following the deaths of three people after raids conducted in Chandauli, Firozabad and Siddharthnagar

Lucknow— On May 11, police arrived in Shankargarh, Prayagraj, UP, to take action against some illegal construction. A video related to the incident and showing the police assaulting a woman went viral on social media. In the video, an inspector is seen entering a house and then dragging out the woman and throwing her down on a bicycle. It is worth noting that in this video, a policewoman is seen accompanying the inspector as he enters the house, rather the video shows a policewoman walking from a distance toward the site of the incident.

According to the police, their team was attacked while they were taking action. The video of the incident compelled us to revisit three deaths that occurred recently during police raids.

The Mooknayak conducted a detailed investigation of three deaths that occurred recently within the space of one month in UP, during police raids in Chandauli, Firozabad, and Siddharthnagar. In many instances, a case has also been filed against the police.

The Mooknayak team contacted the respective police stations to find out the police's account of the allegations made against them. Generally, opposition from the family is common during a raid and the police use videography to avoid allegations. In these modern times, members of the police team also use their own mobile phones to record videos. To gain information about the police's side of the story, The Mooknayak made phone calls to all these police stations to request access to the video/photographic evidence collected by the police. None of the police stations, however, was able to provide videos or photographs related to the incidents.

One point that became clear from this, is that the accounts given by the police of the attacks during the raids appear as made up. Regarding these incidents, The Mooknayak tried to contact the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Prashant Kumar, but a gunner informed us that he was held up in a meeting. We also left WhatsApp messages on IPS Prashant Kumar's private number for information about the incidents but none was forthcoming.

The time-line of the incidents

Sunday, 1 May 2022

Police personnel from the Syed Raja police station in Chandauli district went toManrajpur village to raid the house of a history-sheeter. During this time, a young woman who lived in the house, Nisha Yadav, died. The police were accused of being physically violent after forcibly entering the house, in which the woman died.  The police personnel made a getaway from the site. However, after the incident, the action was taken by higher officials.

Sunday, 8 May 2022

In the Pachokhera area of Tundla police station in Firozabad, police entered a home at midnight for checking on three brothers who had been released from jail. During this time, there was an altercation between the police and family members. The altercation turned physically violent and in this Sharda Devi fell down and died. The police are accused of assaulting the woman, leading to her death. In this case, the police stated that the post-mortem report confirms multi-organ failure. However, after the incident, higher officials considered the matter as serious, and appropriate action was taken.

Saturday, 14 May 2022

The police arrived at the village of Islam Nagar, within the area under Sadar police station in the district of Siddharthnagar, to catch people who had allegedly slaughtered a cow. However, in this an allegation has been made that during the raid, the police opened fire, killing a 50-year-old woman named Roshni. The family members of the woman alleged that during the raid the police baselessly tried to arrest the son.  In this, the police faced opposition from the family, following which a policeman shot the woman and she died. However, the police said that the family and some other villagers attacked the policemen. During this altercation, the woman died from a bullet fired by another person.

Superintendent of Police Yashveer Singh had made a statement that a person named Jitendra Yadav had been arrested. This person used to extort money from the people involved in the cow slaughter. An 0.315 bore pistol and a cartridge shell have been recovered from his possession. The police have claimed that the bullet was fired by this same pistol.   

In regard to the matter, Manish Shukla, a BJP spokesperson, informed The Mooknayak, "Suitable action has been taken by the government in all these incidents. The action was taken against the police involved in the assault in Chandauli. Along with suspensions, a case has been registered against all of them."

In contrast, I.P. Singh, a spokesperson for the Samajwadi Party has said that "The government is using the police against the public in the name of criminals. The law and order situation is consistently declining under this government."

"All these irregular incidents are worrying and there is a critical need for police training. It is important to know with regard to a raid, what kind of criminal is the criminal: more than 2 years or over 7 years. Before conducting a raid, the police must send a notice. Along with this, if someone's house is being raided, then the police must be accompanied by a respected person from the area and an armed person also belonging to the area, "Vikram Singh, former Director-General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, told The Mooknayak.

Retired IPS personnel and social activist Amitabh Thakur, during a conversation with The Mooknayak, stated that "In incidents like these, when such serious allegations are made against the police, they should be considered as prima facie correct until the time of the police provides concrete evidence to prove that the allegations were wrong."

Story Translated By Lotika Singha]

यहां हिन्दी में भी पढ़ें: पड़ताल: दबिश के दौरान लगातार हुई तीन मौतों पर सवालों के घेरे में उत्तर प्रदेश पुलिस