Unnao: Vegetable vendor died after being beaten up by two policemen

On Friday, an 18-year-old vegetable vendor was mercilessly beaten up by a police constable and a home guard in Bangarmau Kotwali police station in Unnao district after he was arrested for violating Covid-19 lockdown norms.

Faisal, the son of Mohd Islam of Bangarmau's Bhatpuri neighbourhood, was allegedly seriously beaten up by two police officers, Vijay Chaudhary (constable) and Satya Prakash (home guard), on Friday afternoon, before succumbing to his injuries.

They later held a major protest on the Bangarmau-Lucknow route, with the body demanding stern action against the guilty police officers as well as adequate compensation for the victim's family. Further, the senior police officers rushed to the scene, and upon learning of the incident, suspended both officers with immediate effect.

“The constable and the home guard have been dismissed. We are currently gathering evidence against the two, and if they are found guilty, we will file charges against them." SP Unnao Sureshrao A Kulkarni said, "I have asked ASP to conduct an investigation and send a report in this regard as soon as possible."

The SP further added, “we are in the process of transporting the body to the mortuary for a post-mortem, and once the report is received, we will be able to determine the cause of death and highlight the details of the case.”

Police constable Vijay Chaudhary and home guard Satya Prakash, both of the district's Bangarmau Kotwali police station, allegedly hit Faisal with a stick about 2 p.m. on Friday after he was caught breaching the lockdown norms by selling vegetables on the footpath at the local vegetable market.

And, when Faisal protested and attempted to reason with the officers, they arrested him and drove him to the Kotwali police station on their two-wheeler. Faisal's family, who were waiting outside the Kotwali police station at 3:45 p.m., learned that his condition had worsened and that he was suffering from extreme chest pain.

Police and family members rushed him to a nearby Community Health Centre, where doctors declared his condition serious and urged them to transport him to the district hospital or another better health facility.

“Faisal died when they were planning a referral letter,” his family member Sufiyan told reporters. “We demand strict punishment for the guilty cops,” Sufiyan added.

For a few hours, the family members, along with nearly hundreds of local residents, blocked the Bangarmau-Lucknow route. Senior police officers arrived on the scene and convinced the family members to hand over the body for a post-mortem examination.