SRINAGAR: Family members and locals on Saturday staged a protest demonstration after a youth who was called for questioning in a case allegedly died during questioning.
According to the youth’s mother, her son identified as Muslim Muneer Lone son of Muneer Lone of Budshah Colony Natipora was called by police to Nowgam police station this morning. “At 3 p.m. a policeman who had come in the morning to summon my son called me and asked me where I was. He then came in his vehicle and took me along,” she told reporters during the protest.
On my asking, if he was given food to eat, she further said, the policemen there told me that he was given food and he fainted because he was on the table.” In between, she said, I was told to sign a paper.
“I don’t know what was written and I signed it. Then the policeman gave me Rs 400. Then a sumo vehicle was brought and some five to six policemen boarding it and asked me to open the gate and dropped him at home and laid him there.”
When this report was filed, the protesters had kept the body at the roadside and were demanding justice.
Quoting SSP Srinagar Rakesh Balwal news agency GNS reported that proceedings under 174 CrPC have started. He said legal and departmental action would be taken if any foul play comes to the fore. He said that the family was not cooperating with the police for the postmortem examination.
The top officer said that he was called for examination at 10 am and was let off after being properly handed over to family in about 2-3 hours after being questioned in connection with a theft case (FIR No. 95/22 u/s 397 IPC). The deceased, he said, had a history of drug abuse as well.
