Protest erupts in Jharkhand's Latehar over man’s death in police custody

Latehar (Jharkhand), May 14 Tension flared in Jharkhand’s Latehar district on Wednesday after the death of 55-year-old Dukhi Sao, allegedly due to police assault in the Herhanj police station area.

Angry villagers and family members staged a protest by placing his body on the National Highway near Dharmapur, blocking traffic for several hours.

The agitation led to a long traffic jam on both sides of the road.

The protesters demanded action against the policemen accused of beating Dukhi Sao.

Senior police and administrative officials reached the spot to pacify the crowd, but when talks failed, the police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the demonstrators. The blockade was cleared around 1 p.m., but resentment continues to simmer in the area.

SDPO Arvind Kumar, who was present at the protest site, said a medical board has been formed to conduct a post-mortem. “If the report confirms custodial assault, strict legal action will be taken,” he said.

According to Dukhi Sao’s family, a police team in plain clothes barged into their house on the night of May 12 in connection with a land dispute. They allege that the police brutally assaulted Dukhi Sao, along with women and children in the household, and also looted mobile phones and other valuables. Dukhi Sao, who sustained serious injuries in the incident, died on Tuesday night.

The police, however, offered a different version. Officials said a team led by the station in-charge had visited the village following a tip-off about illegal construction. They claimed that villagers attacked the team, injuring eight policemen, including the officer in charge.

Following the incident, the police arrested five individuals -- Roshan Kumar, Pintu Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Pankaj Kumar, and Jitendra Kumar Sao -- and sent them to jail.

The family has alleged that those arrested were falsely implicated and demanded that the FIR against them be withdrawn.

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