By Aparajita Ghosh, TwoCircles.net
Mumbai: Family of a 26-year-old cab driver Sohail Sheikh in Chembur area of Mumbai, Maharashtra has accused police of causing his death due to ‘excessive beating’ during police custody.
“Police started thrashing him on his head and arms with a waist belt inside the police station. No questions were asked,” Sohail’s uncle Tayyab Mansoor told TwoCircles.net
On the afternoon of 15 September, Sohail Sheikh and his uncle Tayyab Mansoor Sheikh were at home when police in civvies arrived and searched the house. The police suspected the duo of carrying out illegal work.
According to Tayyab, on finding nothing at home, they asked him and Sohail to accompany them to RCF police station.
After taking the duo to the first floor of the police station, they allegedly started hitting Sohail with a waist belt.
“He suffered from hypertension and started sweating profusely after an hour,” said Tayyab.
Tayyab says he kept requesting police to provide medication to Sohail and was later allowed to make a call for medicines after two hours.
“Police Station me sabko paseena aata hein (Everyone sweats at the police station)” the police told them and continued beating the 26-year-old.
Sohail was later given medicines and went to sleep.
Tayyab said the police demanded a whopping amount of Rs 2.5 lakhs in exchange for release.
“They brought a sack full of cannabis and threatened us to pay or they will detain us under drug possession charges,” said Tayyab.
Tayyab said he agreed to pay Rs 50,000 and they were released right after. They had spent nearly 8 hours in the police station.
Tayyab said Sohail’s heartbeat went up when they arrived home shortly before midnight. The family rushed him to a hospital in Chembur which denied admission and he was later taken to Sion hospital the next morning on 16 September.
As per Tayyab, due to bursting of nerves in Sohail’s brain, excessive blood was spilled internally which deteriorated the possibilities of his living.
Sohail was declared dead 16 September evening.
“Police took his body to JJ Hospital for post-mortem without informing us,” said Tayyab.
The family then arrived at the hospital and asked the police to let them take Sohail’s body home.
The police refused to hand over the body due to high coronavirus cases in the area. “They later agreed to take his body to our house in another area but then they directly took it to the cemetery,” said Qurban Sheikh.
“There were lots of police officials and they had blocked the road,” he added.
Sohail was recently married and is survived by a wife. He lives in Lallubhai Compound in Mankhurd. He had shifted to Tayyab Mansoor’s place in Mahul Road in Chembur some days ago.
Speaking about the case, Sopan Nighot, Senior Inspector at RCF police Station told TwoCircles.net that the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch on 17 September for further investigation.