“We were beaten as if we were footballs,” says dalit man’s brother who dies in police custody

Kanpur: 26-year-old Kamal Valmiki  who died in police custody was allegedly beaten with rods, abused and humiliated by police personnel.

As per NDTV reports, Kamal’s younger brother Nirmal, who was also interrogated claimed:

“We were beaten as if we were footballs.” “They said to me – either confess or we will kill your brother,” he  said.

Following Kamal’s death, Nirmal  was permitted to go.

Police called the family of Mistri to identify the body, which was later claimed by Kamal’s family.

The family members of the deceased filed an FIR against the station in charge and other police personnel for beating Kamal to death. However, police claimed he had committed suicide and sent the body for postmortem.

“Twelve police personnel, including the station in charge Yogendra Singh, have been suspended and strict action will be taken against them if found guilty,” SSP, Mathura, Shalabh Mathur said.

The members of Valmiki community blocked the Kanpur-Lucknow highway and threw stones at the police station following which senior police officials reached there to control the situation.

Meanwhile, Raju Mistri has been reported missing.