Kasganj custodial death: Cops gave Rs 5 lakh to keep quiet, says father

AGRA: In a twist to the Kasganj custodial death case, the father of deceased Mohammad Altaf has claimed that he was paid Rs 5 lakh cash by the policemen after coercing him to put his thumb impression on paper and telling him to keep quiet hours after his son was allegedly found hanging from a 3ft-high water pipe in the washroom of the police station lock-up on Tuesday afternoon.
Chand Miyan claimed the policemen told him that the money was from the government, and asked him not to proceed with the matter. Miyan also claimed that he was provided the cash in bundles of Rs 500 notes in presence of senior officials of the police and the administration at the Goraha police outpost.
Miyan on Sunday said the money is still with him. “I am ready to return it. All I want is justice for my son,” he said.
The father said that, in the paper (which has now gone viral), it was written that his son was suffering from depression and committed suicide in the washroom of the lock-up at Kotawali Sadar police station. Miyan further claimed that his relatives were also warned not to speak about the matter to the media and ensure the body is buried peacefully. Altaf was buried amid heavy police presence on Wednesday.
“Station house officer (SHO) Virendra Singh Indolia (now suspended), along with some some other policemen, a sub-divisional magistrate and a local activist was present at Goraha police outpost when the money was handed over to Altaf’s father,” said an uncle of Altaf.
Kasganj superintendent of police (SP) Botre Rohan Pramod said, “Police did not give any cash to Altaf’s father. A request was made to the district magistrate (DM) to consider providing monetary assistance to the family,” said Pramod.
When asked about the matter, DM Harshita Mathur said, “As of now, there is no declaration of monetary compensation for the deceased’s family. We have sent a proposal to the state government in this regard. We will also try to give a job to one of the family members of Altaf.”
ADGP Rajeev Krishna said, “I have no knowledge about any such transaction. Even if the cash was handed over to cover-up the entire matter, it is irrelevant now. An FIR has been registered on a complaint by the deceased man’s father. The focus of the investigation is on custodial death. A magisterial and departmental probe is also being conducted.”
In his complaint to the police on Saturday, Chand Miyan referred to the viral letter and said that he was "detained" at Goraha police outpost after his son’s death. “The policemen made one of my relatives write a letter, which was dictated by them. The cops forced me to put a thumb impression on a piece of paper, saying that if I do not do it, the body of my son would not be handed over to me and that I would not be allowed to leave the outpost. I had no idea what was written in that paper,” the complaint read.
Meanwhile, Kasganj police recovered the 16-year-old Hindu girl who was allegedly kidnapped by Altaf and an “unknown friend”. She will be produced in court to record her statement on Monday, a senior police officer said.