Death in police custody: CCTV footage shows the victim’s condition deteriorating in detention

A day after the death of a 32-year-old man in police custody, CCTV footage emerged on Sunday showing his deteriorating health in the detention center of the Chinhat police station.

In a 1-minute-17-second video shared on social media, Mohit Pandey, a school clothes dealer, can be seen lying on the floor of the detention center in the presence of seven other inmates.

The video also shows his brother Shobharam Pandey, who was also taken into custody and kept in the same cell, trying to help his brother by rubbing his shoulders and shouting for help.

The video ends with other inmates asking the police for help. In response, a bottle of water is seen being gifted to Mohit Pandey. Shobharam then hands it over to him. There was no official police response to the video.

Earlier, Chief Medical Inspector (CMS) Dr Vikram Singh of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital confirmed that Mohit Pandey was brought dead to the hospital around 2.30 pm on Saturday.

Mohit’s death comes 15 days after the death of Dalit Aman Gautam in police custody in Lucknow.

For their part, Mohit’s family members alleged that he was tortured during his imprisonment. But the police representatives denied these accusations. Hours after the incident late on Saturday night, an FIR was lodged against Chinhat police station officer Ashwini Kumar Chaturvedi, one Adesha (the porter with whom the altercation took place after which the police took away Mohit and his brother), his uncle and unknown others on charges of murder following a complaint lodged by the mother of the deceased Tapeshwari Devi. The allegations in the FIR include Section 103(1) (murder) and 61/2 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

THE FAMILY HOLDS A BODY PROTEST,

REQUIRES CBI PROBE

On Saturday, Mohit’s relatives, including his wife, staged a protest outside the Mantri Awas in Vibhuti Khand with the body and refused cremation until justice was served. They also sought a CBI probe. The police initially tried to dissuade them, but as the protest grew, they shifted the body to Mohit’s house in Chinhat area.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Pooja Shukla also protested the incident and staged a sit-in but was taken into police custody. BJP MLA from BKT Yogesh Shukla also reached the spot, assuring the family of a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

“The news of the death of Mohit Pandey in custody at Chinhat Police Station is very sad and sad. Today I reached the residence of the victim’s family at Vibhav Khand, Gomti Nagar, met the bereaved family members and assured them of all possible help and justice by conducting a high-level inquiry into the incident. I also got the victim’s family on the phone with Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathakup, who assured that the family will get justice and as much help as possible,” Shukla said on his ‘X’.

“I pray to God to give peace to the soul of the deceased and strength to the family to survive this unbearable loss,” wrote Shukla.

PRIYANKA, AHILESH ATTACK THE GOVERNMENT

Opposition leaders attacked the Yogi government, with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioning the death in police custody.

“In Lucknow, UP, police arrested two youths and one died the next morning. This is the second death in UP police custody in two weeks. The family claims that the police killed their son. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of custodial deaths in the country. BJP has created such a jungle paradise in a state where police have become synonymous with brutality,” Priyanka wrote in Hindi on X.

It went on to say: “Where law enforcement officers themselves take lives, from whom should society expect justice?”

Meanwhile, Yadav wrote on X, “This is the second news of a death (read murder) in police custody in the UP capital in the last 16 days. The government, which is an expert at changing names, must now change the name “police” to “torture house”. Every demand of the family of the deceased must be fulfilled, we are with them.”