A police post was set on fire in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, after the alleged custodial death of Ranjit Maurya. Maurya was arrested for allegedly harassing a girl and later his body was found in the barracks of police post. Ranjit’s cousin Pratap said, “When I reached the jail to serve food and a blanket to Ranjit, I saw the policemen were carrying out Ranjit’s corpse. I tried to get hold of my brother’s corpse but the policemen pushed me away and beat me. They then took Ranjit’s corpse somewhere.” Later, the police told the villagers that Ranjit ended his life by hanging himself from the window grill at the lock-up.
This claim of police officers made the mob irate, which in turn set the police station and other vehicles standing in the premises on fire. Angry locals blocked the main road and staged a demonstration. The people also hurled stones at the policemen and vehicles passing by. The police post falls under Nughasan police station where a minor girl’s body was found hanging from a tree in June this year. The attempted rape and murder of the teenager inside the police compound had sparked a massive outrage.