Lucknow, Nov 30: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over the reported mob lynching of a man after pulling him out of a police van in Shamli district.

The notice was issued to the state chief secretary and director general of police (DGP), calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks, a press release from the NHRC said Friday.

The commission took suo motu cognisance of media reports that Rajendra alias Manu (28) was pulled out of a police van and beaten to death by a mob in the presence of constables in Hathchoya Village of Shamli district on November 26.

It observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, amounted to violation of the human rights of the victim.

"There cannot be any denial that it was the solemn duty of the police personnel to keep the arrested man in safe custody so that he could not be denied his infallible right to get justice in accordance with law," the commission said.

In the instant reported incident, it appeared that not protecting the victim from the clutches of hooligans or an inciting mob resulted in his death, it added.

A video clip of the purported incident circulated on the social media showed the victim sitting in a police vehicle. A man in a blue shirt opened the door of the van and slapped the victim repeatedly. A policeman seated next to the victim held him by the arm. The man was then seen pulling Rajendra out of the vehicle, the NHRC said.

The victim's family has reportedly alleged that six villagers, with whom he had quarrelled the previous day, beat him to death with lathis.

The Shamli superintendent of police (SP) was reported as saying that the victim did not die in police custody as he had escaped from the police van and was beaten up by the crowd later. The SP had also reportedly said that after about two hours, the victim suffered a fall from the roof of his house and died due to head injuries, the release noted.

However, on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim's brother, an FIR under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 302 (murder) and 148 (rioting with armed weapons) was lodged at the Jhinjhana police station against six people and one of them, identified as the "main accused", was arrested, the NHRC said.

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Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.

Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.

Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.

He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.

“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.

Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.

Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.

Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.

“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.