Youth commits suicide in police custody

Kurukshetra, May 10 (UNI) A 23-year-old youth allegedly committed suicide in police custody in Krishna Nagar Gate Police Chowki, Thanesar late last night by hanging himself.

After the post-mortem, the body of Sushil Kumar was handed over to his mother, Kurukshetra SP AS Dhillon said, adding that the police investigation was going on and the reason behind the extreme step could not be ascertained so far.

However, the SP claimed that there was no negligence on the part of the police in this matter.

Sushil was working as driver of a Rishikesh-based Mahant of Chandereshwar Mahadev Mandir and was arrested for stealing his car, Rs four lakhs cash and silver ornaments and utensils, which the Mahant had kept for a religious ceremony to be performed in Kaithal.

A criminal case under Section 381 was registered in Kurukshetra on the Mahant's complaint last week.

The SP said the Mahant's car was found abandoned near the flyover bridge in Baldev Nagar of Ambala city two days ago and the police arrested Sushil from Rajpura in Punjab on a tip-off.

The police investigation revealed that many more criminal cases were registered against the deceased, including in Pehowa police station during the last many years when he was working with a local property dealer.

Meanwhile, his mother Roshini Devi alleged that his son had been done to death by the police at the behest of the influential Mehants of Pehowa and Kurukshetra.

UNI XC PS SG AS1903