A serving and a retired policemen were sentenced to life imprisonment by the district and sessions judge, Etah, on Wednesday for the custodial death of a man during panchayat elections in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district in 2005. Two other accused policemen, deputed at Jainthra police station of Etah, died during the pendency of the case.
The case was initially filed in the court of the chief judicial magistrate at Etah against four policemen namely Manish Yadav, Mahavir Singh, Midhai Lal and Gajraj Singh. The then police station in charge of Jainthra Manish Yadav and retired constable Midhai Lal died during the pendency of the case. He alleged that Munna was beaten to death at the police station at the behest of some influential villagers who took his brother’s body in a private jeep. Later, a case was registered against these four cops beside the driver of jeep.
The matter relates to Etah’s Bahgo village where one Ativeer Singh lodged a complaint on August 28, 2005 alleging that during panchayat elections, the accused police station incharge Manish Yadav, Mahavir Singh, Midhai Lal and sub-inspector Gajraj Singh took along his brother Muhar Pal aka Munna to police station on August 26, 2005.
