Protests in Khetri over custodial death, police station staff axed

Jhunjhunu: A 28-year-old man detained for questioning in a theft case died in police custody under suspicious circumstances at Khetri police station Sunday night, triggering protests from family members and his villagers from Sikar Monday. The incident led to removal of the entire police station staff, including Circle Inspector Gopal Lal Jangid.

The deceased, identified as Pappuram Meena from Sipur village near Ajitgarh in Sikar district, was detained for questioning in connection with a guar (cluster bean) theft case reported in Feb from Karamadi village in Jhunjhunu district. According to family members, Meena was allegedly subjected to torture for about a week before his death.

Police officials report that Meena's health deteriorated while in custody and despite being transferred from Khetri to a Jhunjhunu hospital after initial treatment, he couldn't survive. The incident sparked protests, with members of the Meena community from Sikar gathering outside the Khetri police station Monday morning. The protesters put forth couple of demands, including dismissal of all involved police personnel, murder charges against the DSP and the removed Circle Inspector, compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family and govt job for the deceased's kin.

Jhunjhunu's Superintendent of Police, Sharad Chowdhary said the entire Khetri police station staff was reassigned in accordance with National Human Rights Commission guidelines about custodial deaths. A new team from the Police Lines, led by CI Mangilal Meena, subsequently took charge of the police station Monday. "The post-mortem will be conducted under judicial supervision with complete videography by a medical board," said Chowdhary. "Additional SP Devendra Singh will investigate the death case and any negligence found will be dealt with according to rules," the SP said.

The protesters refused to accept Meena's body or allow a post-mortem until their demands were met. Additional police forces were deployed in the area to maintain law and order, while negotiations with the protesters continued into the evening. The SP said he has sympathy with the family of the deceased and assured appropriate action against those found guilty in the investigation.