BSP’s zonal in-charge dies after being allegedly pushed by police in Shahjahanpur from terrace

A Dalit Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) zonal in-charge died after being allegedly assaulted and thrown off a roof by police officers during a late-night raid in Shahjahanpur’s Tilhar area.

The incident has triggered outrage among party workers, who are demanding murder charges against the police personnel involved in the incident, sources said here on Wednesday.

Advertisement

The deceased, Satyabhan (50), was the BSP zonal in-charge for the Katara Assembly constituency. The police personnel had reportedly gone to his house in Mohammadpur village late Tuesday night to arrest his son Abhishek, accused in an attempted murder case.

According to family members, the police team broke open the door, verbally abused the family, and took Satyabhan to the terrace before allegedly beating and pushing him off the roof top. He was rushed to the district hospital with serious injuries and was later referred to the Government Medical College, where he succumbed.

Before his death, Satyabhan reportedly named Sub-Inspector Rahul Sisodia as the officer who assaulted and threw him off the terrace. “He abused me and pushed me. My back is broken,” he said in his final statement, according to family members.

Satyabhan’s elder son, Kuldeep, a photographer, alleged that the police had been harassing the family for weeks, demanding Rs 1.5 lakh to drop his brother’s name from the case. “We belong to the Scheduled Caste community. The people who filed the case against my brother are from upper castes. The police took their side and kept harassing us,” he claimed.

The controversy stems from an August 22 incident when Abhishek reportedly had a fight with neighbours. The family alleged the neighbours fired shots, but instead of taking action against them, the police filed a case against Abhishek on the charge of attempted murder. Fearing arrest, he went into hiding.

Following Satyabhan’s death, hundreds of BSP workers, led by district president Udvir Singh, gathered outside the local police station, demanding that a murder case be registered against the officers involved.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Dwivedi, confirming the incident, said the matter is under investigation. “Police had gone to arrest an accused in an attempted murder case. The incident is being investigated. The body has been sent for post-mortem, and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings,” he said.