A 20-year-old man has been hospitalised in Uttar Pradesh after being brutally tortured by the Badaun police in connection with a case of cattle theft. A First Information Report has been filed against five policemen, "including the station in-charge", the police have said.
Rehan's family says he has been severely injured and unable to walk or speak. He sustained injuries in his private parts after the cops gave him electric shocks and used a stick to violate him. He was also "severely thrashed," his sister-in-law told reporters.
Later, the police allegedly released him after a bribe of Rs 5,000 was paid. The family has also alleged that they were handed a 100-rupee note by the cops for his treatment.
The man, a daily wager, was picked up and detained by the police on May 2 while he was on his way home after work. The police claimed that he was allegedly aiding a group of cattle smugglers.
He was in custody for several hours and the family said they had to bribe the police to secure his release. At the time, the officers demanded that they maintain silence.
The First Information Report filed in the case says Rehan is currently admitted at a private hospital in Bulandshahr.
Initially he was taken to a local government hospital and then the district hospital, which however, were unable to help him.
While the FIR has been filed against seven people, the five policemen named in it have been suspended and a detailed investigation is being conducted. They have been accused of causing grievous hurt and criminal intimidation among other things.
The internal inquiry into the matter is still in progress, said Praveen Singh Chauhan, a senior officer of the city police.