'No Human Rights in UP': Rahul Gandhi, Others Condemn Kasganj Custodial Death

A 21-year-old Muslim man had allegedly died in police custody in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj.

Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Mayawati have reacted to the Kasganj custodial death.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A 21-year-old man had allegedly died in police custody on Monday, 8 November, in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj. While the police have claimed that the youth died by suicide, the family has alleged foul play on the part of the police.

The youth, Altaf Miya, had been taken into custody on the charge of running away with a girl. As per the police, he had visited the restroom while he was being interrogated, and had subsequently been found hanging from a pipe there. Miya's kin, however, have alleged that he was hanged.

Reacting to the incident, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a Hindi tweet, said:

"Is there such a thing as human rights left in Uttar Pradesh?"

Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati are among the number of other political leaders and activists who took to Twitter to condemn the custodial death.

"It is clear from incidents like the death of Altaf in Kasganj, Arun Valmiki in Agra, Rajesh Kori in Sultanpur in police custody that the protectors have become eaters. UP tops the country in terms of police custodial death. The law and order situation is in complete disarray under the BJP rule. No one is safe here," Priyanka Gandhi said.

What Had Happened

A 21-year-old man, accused of running away with a woman, allegedly died in police custody on Monday, 8 November, in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj.

The police, on Monday morning, had allegedly taken the youth, Altaf, to the Sadar police station for questioning. A resident of Nagla Sayyad Ahroli, Altaf was taken into custody on the charge of running away with a woman.

His father, Chahat Miya, has alleged that the police had hanged Altaf while he was in lock-up. He further said that the police had subsequently taken the youth to a district hospital, where he had been declared dead by the doctors.

Superintendent of Police Rohan Botre has suspended a total of five police personnel, including Kasganj station house officer, two sub-inspectors, a head officer, and a constable, on the charges of negligence.

"Altaf, son of Chahat Miya, was brought for questioning in the early hours of this [Monday] morning on the charge of running away with a girl. When the police were interrogating him, he asked the policeman to go to the bathroom. The police officer sent him to the bathroom inside the lock-up, and after a while, when he did not come out, a worker went to check. He had tightened the hood of his jacket around his throat, by tying it to a pipe," SP Botre said.