Police Harassment Video Goes Viral
Dehradun: A Kashipur-based farmer allegedly died by suicide after recording a video accusing a land mafia and senior police officials of defrauding and harassing his family. The deceased, Sukhwant Singh, a resident of the Paiga area in Kashipur of Udham Singh Nagar district, shot himself at a hotel in Nainital in the early hours of Sunday.
In the video, which has since gone viral, Singh claimed that a group based in Kashipur cheated him of Rs 4 crore in a land deal. He alleged that Rs 3 crore was paid in cash and Rs 1 crore transferred to bank accounts, but the land ultimately handed over was different from what had been shown to him. He named several individuals in the video and alleged that police officials failed to act on his complaints and instead harassed his family.
Singh also accused senior police officers, including the Udham Singh Nagar Superintendent of Police and officials of the ITI police station, of colluding with the accused. He claimed that despite approaching the police multiple times over the past four months, no action was taken and that his family was detained and misbehaved with at the police station. He alleged that his complaints to the SP also yielded no result.
In the video, Singh demanded a CBI probe into the case, alleging that senior police officials were hand in glove with those who had defrauded him. He said those named by him were responsible for his death and that his family would not find peace until action was taken against them. According to police sources, Singh named 26 individuals in the video, including eight women.
Police said Singh had checked into Devbhoomi Hotel in Nainital on Saturday along with his wife, Pradeep Kaur and their 12-year-old son, Gursej. At around 2.30 a.m. on Sunday, he allegedly opened fire inside the room. While he attempted to shoot his son, his wife intervened and managed to push the child away. Both the wife and son sustained injuries and escaped from the room, following which Singh shot himself dead.
Taking serious note of the incident and the viral video, Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday ordered a magisterial inquiry. He said the probe has been entrusted to the Kumaon Commissioner and senior IAS officer Deepak Rawat. The Chief Minister said an impartial and transparent investigation would be conducted and strict action taken against all those found responsible.
