Kasganj death case: Father withdraws charges against UP Police

Kasganj (Uttar Pradesh), Nov 11 (IANS) Chand Miyan, father of Altaf who allegedly ended his life in police custody, has claimed in a handwritten note that his son was suffering from depression and that 'he was withdrawing the case against the police'.

The Samajwadi Party has accused the police of trying to hush up the case and has demanded a probe by a sitting high court judge.

Five police personnel had been suspended for negligence on Wednesday in the matter.

The police said the victim was suffering from depression and that he died by suicide.

Chand Miyan has now given a written declaration that he is withdrawing the charges in the case and 'will not pursue it in the future'.

Interestingly, the handwritten note by Chand Miyan, carries his thumb impression instead of signature.

The death of a Muslim youth, 22-year-old Altaf, while in custody at the Kasganj police station in in Uttar Pradesh has snowballed into a major controversy with Samajwadi Party demanding high-level inquiry by a sitting high court judge.

The party has also demanded that the family of the youth be compensated.

Altaf, son of Chand Miyan, who was an accused in an elopement case of a minor Hindu girl in village Ahroli, was picked up by the police on Monday night and taken to Kasganj kotwali for interrogation. On Tuesday night, he died in police custody.

Altaf, who had been working as a tile layer, was fitting tiles at a house from where a girl went missing on Monday. The family members accused Altaf of being involved in the elopement case and an FIR was registered against him.

Kasganj Superintendent of Police Roshan Pramod Botre said that Altaf wanted to go to the toilet and was allowed to use the washroom facility at the police station. But when he did not come out, the cops opened the washroom and found him dead. He was rushed to the district hospital where he died after some time.

Altaf's body was handed over to the family members after the post-mortem.

The victim's father initially alleged foul play but later backed out.

Chand Miyan had told reporters that he had handed over his son on Monday night to the local police who told him that they wanted to interrogate him in connection with the elopement case of a girl belonging to another community.

Miyan said Altaf was shifted from the local police station to Kotwali and that he was not allowed to meet his son.

Samajwadi Party spokesman Abdul Hafiz Gandhi, has demanded a high-level inquiry by a sitting high court judge and said, "Is it not unusual that Chand Miyan has submitted a hand written declaration in support of the police but instead of the signature, the latter carries his thumb impression which proves that he is not literate? The whole thing is suspicious."