Police officer suspended; 24 officials sent to police lines after suicide by rape suspect

The police had detained the accused, Phool Singh, following the allegations of rape with a minor girl earlier this week

A circle officer of Rajasthan police was on Saturday suspended and 24 officials posted at Dechu police station in Phalodi district were sent to the police lines as a disciplinary action following the alleged suicide by a rape suspect in the police custody.

The incident had led to an agitation by the villagers on Friday and the protesters had laid siege to the police station.

The police had detained the accused, Phool Singh, following the allegations of rape with a deaf and mute minor girl earlier this week and took him to the police station at Dechu, where he was put up in a computer room instead of being lodged in the cell. A report was lodged at the police station on October 2, accusing him of rape.

The police also sent the victim for medical examination and took Phool Singh into custody after confirmation of the sexual assault. The accused allegedly hanged himself from the ventilator grills of the room using his scarf.

When the policemen found him hanging on Friday morning, he was rushed to the government hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

The villagers belonging to the Rajput community, to which the deceased belonged, assembled at the police station and demanded justice, while terming it a case of custodial murder rather than the suicide. Phool Singh’s family members alleged that the police had picked him three days earlier and kept him at the police station without arrest. His brother said he had seen liquor bottles on the table at the police station and claimed that the deceased was ill-treated by the policemen.

Director-General of Police Utkal Ranjan Sahoo issued an order for suspension of Lohawat Circle Officer Shankar Lal Chhaba on Saturday and attached him to the police headquarters in Jaipur during his suspension. Mr. Chhaba is an officer of the Rajasthan Police Service (RPS), holding the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

While the action was taken against Mr. Chhaba in view of a departmental inquiry proposed against him, the entire staff of Dechu police station, comprising 24 officials, was sent to the police lines in Phalodi as a disciplinary action. A new station house officer and 13 officials were posted at the police station and asked to join duty with immediate effect.

Phool Singh’s family members and the villagers had earlier demanded suspension of all policemen at the police station, government job to the next of kin and a compensation of ₹1 crore. Shergarh MLA Babu Singh Rathore, who convinced the protesters to accept the body of the deceased, said the State government would give contractual job to one family member and pay financial assistance of ₹15 lakh.

“There is a considerable anger among the people in the region over the suspicious death of Phool Singh in the police custody,” Mr. Rathore said. He said a magisterial inquiry would be ordered shortly to find out the sequence of events leading to the death of Phool Singh.

Published - October 05, 2024 09:21 pm IST