Vegetable Seller Faisal Killed in Unnao After Policemen Thrash Him

An FIR has been registered against three named policemen, of whom one has been suspended and another fired.

An 18-year-old vegetable seller, Faisal Hussain, died after being thrashed by policemen in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district on 20 May. The policemen beat him up in the afternoon that day, took him to the police station and thrashed him there too, after which he died at a local community healthcare center.

The family is distraught, there was an immense commotion in the area and the police has filed an FIR for murder.

Narrating what happened, Faisal’s paternal uncle Miraj said, “My nephew was selling vegetables in the market when this policeman, called Chaudhary, came and thrashed him a few times repeatedly. They thrashed him so hard he fell to the ground. They then decided they will take him to the police station and thrash him there as well.”

Faisal’s brother, Mohammad Sufiyan Hussain, said he was beaten to death at the police station and also refers to the policeman Chaudhary as being well known in the area for being rude and horribly behaved. “He came with other policemen and started beating my brother. When the locals protested, he got into a rage, abused everyone and took my brother on his bike and left for the police station,” Sufiyan said.

There was an immense commotion in the area with wails of people screaming and crying all around. Some locals also barricaded the area where there is an Indian Oil petrol pump. A policeman can be seen speaking to locals to calm them down. In another one can be seen wearing a mask, asking questions, and taking notes. The locals who were visibly agitated can be seen asking some policemen, who were wearing protected gear like helmets, to bring the accused who had beaten Faisal in front of them.

Considering the fear of the spread of COVID, and the curfew, these visuals show how there were several who were not wearing masks.

The police had, after thrashing him at the police station, taken him to take him to the community health center, but the doctor there said Faisal was too serious. "Some policemen got him here and when we saw him he looked too serious. He was not doing well at all. We referred him immediately to another hospital. The car was called to the ward to take him elsewhere, but before the car could even reach he had breathed his last,’ an official at the centre said.

An FIR was registered at around 8:30 pm on 21 May under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code at the Bangarmau police station. The police took a decision to suspend the services of constable Vijay Chaudhary with immediate effect while Home Guard Satya Prakash was relieved from his duties. They also said that the investigation against other police personnel will be deliberated upon further.

The third named person in the FIR is constable Seemavat.

An assistant sub-inspector Shashi Shekhar, said, “An FIR has been registered against three named people. They have been suspended and the investigation in the case will continue.”