MP custodial death: Family members demand arrest of cops; refuses to cremate victim corpse

Bhopal, Sep 30: Tension prevailed for second consecutive day in Narayanpur village of Satna district in Madhya Pradesh as the family members of the man killed in police custody, from a bullet fired from the service revolver of a police inspector on Sunday night, refused to accept his body unless the policemen alleged to be responsible for the man's death are booked for murder.

According to reports, two cops including an inspector Vikram Pathak and a constable Ashish Kumar of Singhpur police station of Satna district were booked under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC on Monday after death of Rajpati Kushwaha, a resident of Narayanpur village, in the police custody.

Rajpati's body has been lying in an ambulance for the past more than 12 hours in front of Rajpati's house and police are trying to convince his family members to cremate the body.

The family members, who have called for a sit-in protest with Congress MLA Siddharth Kushwaha in the village, are demanding arrest of the cops and a case to be filed under section 302 of IPC instead of section 304.

Kushwaha's daughter Shivani Kushwaha said, "I want to see the cops, who killed my father, behind the bar."

Speaking to reporters, Congress MLA Siddharth Kushwaha said, "The state government is trying to suppress the matter. The government should ensure the cops are booked for murder and it should give ex-gratia of at least Rs 1 crore to the family. If the government doesn't fulfil our demands, the dead body will not be cremated."

Satna, deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Anil Singh Kushwaha said, "The body has started decomposing. We are trying to convince the family members that the legal procedure is being followed and a magisterial inquiry has also been ordered. The truth will come out but they should go ahead with the cremation."

Meanwhile, Satna police claimed that Rajpati was called to Singhpur police station on Sunday for questioning in connection with a theft case on a complaint lodged by a former sarpanch of the village. But Rajpati committed suicide by shooting himself on his forehead after snatching the police inspector's revolver.

However, family of the deceased and other residents of the village have refused to accept the police's theory and alleged Rajpati was murdered by the police.