Locals clash with police after Dalit man dies in custody in UP’s Firozabad

NEW DELHI: Local residents clashed with police, pelting stones and setting a vehicle on fire, following the death of a 25-year-old jail inmate named Akash at the district hospital in UP’s Firozabad on Friday night.Superintendent of Police Saurabh Dixit reported that Akash was taken into custody on Wednesday with a stolen motorcycle seized from him and a subsequent case registered.

Yogendra Singh, the SHO of Firozabad South police station, said that Akash was arrested for allegedly stealing the motorcycle on Tuesday. After being sent to judicial custody, Akash was lodged in the Firozabad district jail.

On Thursday night, when Akash’s condition worsened, he was admitted to the district jail hospital. Unfortunately, he died during treatment on Friday. Superintendent Dixit confirmed this sequence of events to the media.

The incident took a violent turn as Akash’s body was being transported home by his family post-mortem late Friday evening.

Local residents halted the ambulance near his home in the Nagla Pachiya area and staged a protest. They shouted slogans against the police, threw stones at police personnel and their vehicles and engaged in arson. The crowd also set a motorcycle on fire.

“As the situation deteriorated, the police resorted to mild force to remove the people from the spot,” SP Dixit explained.

Reports suggest that some police officers and individuals may have sustained injuries during the clash, but official confirmation from the police and administration is still pending.

At the time of reporting, the body was still in the ambulance at the location of the protest. Senior police officers, including IG Zone Agra Deepak Kumar, are closely monitoring the situation.

“The SP said a detailed investigation is underway into the inmate’s death,” signifying that further probes will be conducted to ascertain the exact circumstances around Akash’s passing.

Courtesy : TOI

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