Faisal Hussain, a vegetable seller, died after being assaulted by police in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district. On 20th May, the cops beat Faisal and later brought him to the police station, and beat him there as well, until he succumbed at a local community healthcare center.
Soon after the Faisal was declared dead, the neighborhood got tensed with the relatives of the deceased demanding action against the policemen involved. Locals and the Faisal's family members protested his suspected murder by placing his body on the Unnao-Bangarmau-Hardoi route. They have demanded a compensation of Rs. 50 lakh and a government job to the next of kin.
The UP Police eventually filed an FIR against the policeman and a home guard. "A vegetable vendor was taken from the market and was beaten up on the way, and then they killed him at the police station. Then the policemen left him at the hospital and fled. The constable should face action under the IPC section for murder. All officials at the police station should face action," said Faisal's cousin Salman.
Three policemen suspended and charged with Murder
Faisal Hussain was initially thought to have died of a heart attack, according to the police. They claimed that he and others had been taken to the Bangar Mau police station for breaking curfew rules. Later that day, authorities charged constables Vijay Choudhary and Seemavat, as well as home guard Satya Prakash, with murder.
"All three were already suspended soon after the incident. It was lodged based on the complaint from family," Indian Express quoted Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shashi Shekhar Singh.
'This is not death, government killing': Congress
The Uttar Pradesh Congress has issued a statement directly attacking the government, raising the question "how can the system of Yogi Government be so cruel?" It further stated that "Unnao's death due to beating of the vegetable vendor by police is shameful. It's not a death but killing by the Yogi Government. Government should curb such cruelty."
