SHO, others booked on murder charge after man dies in police custody in Lucknow
Lucknow, Oct 27: Police on Sunday lodged an FIR on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy against the SHO of Chinhat police station here and others after the family of a 30-year-old man, who died in police custody, alleged that he was beaten to death by the cops, officials said.
The incident evoked a strong reaction from the opposition parties, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav saying "the term police custody" should be changed to "torture house", while senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the "BJP has established such a jungle raj in the state where police have become synonymous with brutality".
A resident of Jainabad in the Chinhat area here, Mohit Kumar was arrested in connection with a case on Saturday. He died at a hospital while in custody following which his family members alleged police brutality as the cause of his death, police said.
Taking note of the complaint lodged by the victim's mother, an FIR under sections 103 (1) (Punishment for murder) and 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS has been registered against inspector Ashwani Chaturvedi, Station House Officer at the Chinhat police station, and others including some unidentified persons, Additional Commissioner of Police Vibhuti Khand Radha Ram Singh told reporters on Sunday.
A detailed probe is on into the matter, he said.
The exact cause of death will be ascertained after the post-mortem which will be videographed, the officer added.
A CCTV clip went viral on social media purportedly showing the victim lying in the lockup. The family members of the deceased accused the police of deliberately leaking only a small portion of the footage to save their back, claiming that Kumar was beaten to death by the cops.
According to the police, Kumar was rushed to a community health centre after he became unwell at the police station. From there he was referred to a bigger facility where he died, they said.
However, Shobharam, the victim's brother who claimed he was also taken into custody before being released later, alleged that the police mercilessly thrashed Kumar in front of him and sent him to the hospital only after he died.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the incident.
"This is the second news of death (read murder') in police custody in the last 16 days in the Uttar Pradesh capital. The government, which is an expert in changing names, should now change the name of 'police custody' to 'torture house'. Every demand of the victim's family must be met. We are with them," Yadav said in a post on X.
Reacting to the incident, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a post on X in Hindi, said, "In Lucknow, UP, the police detained two youths and one died the next morning. This is the second death in UP police custody in a fortnight. The family alleges that the police murdered their son."
"Uttar Pradesh ranks first in the country in terms of deaths in custody. The BJP has established such a jungle raj in the state where police have become synonymous with brutality. Where the lawkeepers themselves are taking lives. From whom should the public expect justice? " she said
Earlier, a 24-year-old man died in police custody after being arrested during a raid on a gambling den in Lucknow.
While Aman Gautam's family had accused the cops of beating him to death, police denied the allegations.
According to officials, a team of police personnel conducted a raid on Ambedkar Park in Sector 8 of Vikasnagar on October 11 night following reports of gambling activities.
"Two individuals, including Aman Gautam (24), were apprehended and taken into custody," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Jitendra Kumar Dubey had said on October 12.
"While being transported to the police station, Aman's condition deteriorated, and he was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival," the officer added.
Aman died due to police beatings, his family has alleged.
Meanwhile, spokesperson of the UP Congress Uma Shankar Pandey said, "The brutal murder of businessman Mohit Kumar in the lockup of Chinhat police station in Lucknow is extremely serious and infuriating."
"The family members are saying that the police have committed the murder under pressure from the ruling party," he claimed.
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Just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I'm able to play: MS Dhoni
New Delhi, Oct 27: Former India and Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni has hinted at a potential return for IPL 2025, saying he wants to enjoy "whatever last few years of cricket" he can play, amid speculation regarding his availability for the upcoming season.
There has been speculation about Dhoni's future since he handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad in the last season and began batting lower in the order.
Franchises must submit their retained player lists by October 31 ahead of the mega auction. Dhoni could be retained by CSK as an uncapped player this year due to the reintroduction of a rule allowing players retired from international cricket for five years to be classified as uncapped.
"I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I'm able to play," a report in ESPNcricinfo quoted Dhoni as saying on Sunday at a promotional event held in Goa a couple of days ago.
"Like how during our childhood we used to go out and play at 4[pm], just enjoying the game. But when you play professional sport it becomes difficult to enjoy the game just like a game. So what I want to do is, there are emotions and commitments, but I want to enjoy the game for the next few years."
Last week, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had also said that he is hopeful of Dhoni being part of the upcoming season.
Dhoni, who underwent left knee surgery in 2023, batted lower down the order during the 2024 IPL edition. The former India skipper explained that this decision was primarily to provide game-time to aspiring Indian players ahead of the T20 World Cup.
"My thinking was simple, if others are doing their job well why do I need to come up the order," Dhoni said.
"If you're talking about last year (season) specifically, the T20 World Cup squad was going to be announced soon. So we have to give people who are fighting for a spot a chance.
"In our team (CSK) we had a few, (Ravindra) Jadeja was there, Shivam Dube was there so you give them an opportunity to prove themselves to get into the Indian team. There was nothing in it for me, no selection and other things. So I'm good behind [playing down the order] and my team was happy with what I was doing."
"Love how teams are playing Test cricket now"
Dhoni has praised the result-oriented aggressive approach, often referred to as "Bazball," that teams are adopting in Test cricket these days.
"You can give cricket any term that you want to, what we have seen is cricket has evolved. The way people are playing cricket is very different. There was a time when in ODIs something was considered a safe score, now that score is not safe in T20s too," Dhoni said.
"You give something a term, it becomes much more interesting because you start talking about it, you start relating to it but at the end of the day what is it? It's a way to play cricket."
Having played 90 Tests for India, Dhoni reflected on the challenges of playing on the fifth day when a match appeared headed for a draw.
"For me, the most difficult time during a Test match was the fifth day of a match which is the last day when you knew that 100% it is going to be a draw," he said in the report.
"I would still need to keep for nearly 2.5 sessions and that was the most tiring part. You see there is no result happening, you are just going through the motions. Yes, bowlers would like to take wickets, batters will try to score runs, [but] there is no result in the game.
"You think let's finish this and go, why do I have to be here. So I love the fact there's change in the way teams are playing Test cricket."
Not a fan of draws, Dhoni emphasized the importance of having a result after five days of play.
"Imagine telling someone who doesn't know much cricket we play over five days and we start at 9.30 and 4.30 is the scheduled end of play, we play till 5[pm] sometimes, and after five days we don't get a result. That's not nice for the game. So I love how there's more results in today's world.
"Even if we are playing only four days of cricket and one day gets washed out, still you get a result - that's the beauty of Test cricket and that's how it should stay - you want to get a result after five days and you shouldn't have a draw."
