A Dalit man from the Satapar village of Rajkot, who had claimed that he was harassed by a police constable following the death of his wife, died after he allegedly consumed poison on Tuesday. His family initially refused to claim the body, demanding the police constable be booked for abetting suicide. The last rites were performed after an FIR was filed in the case.
The FIR, registered at Kotda Sangani Police Station on the basis of a complaint filed by Ramesh’s brother Jignesh Soyaliya, names Ashok Dangar, a police constable attached to the police station. The constable has been booked under IPS section 306 (abetment to suicide) as well as under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR quotes Jignesh as saying that Dangar called Ramesh to Kotda Sangani Police Station at least four times after Ramesh’s wife Ratan hanged herself at their home in Satapar village on August 3 this year.
“Investigation was going on in this matter and Ashok Dangar called my brother four to five times but did not record his statement. Additionally, on August 12, Kotda Sangani police called my elder brother, Rameshbhai Arjanbhai Soyaliya, accusing him of killing his wife, and warning that he would be framed for the crime. He used to harass my brother physically and mentally. Due to this, my brother was forced to consume poisonous tablets used for preserving wheat inside our shop yesterday,” the FIR quotes 31-year-old Jignesh as having claimed.
According to the FIR, Ramesh consumed poison at around 3:30 pm on Tuesday. He was rushed to a hospital in Rajkot where he died at around 6:30 pm. His body was shifted to the state government-run Rajkot Civil Hospital for post-mortem. However, after the post-mortem was done, Ramesh’s family refused to claim the body, demanding that a case be registered against the constable.
Accompanied by a Rajkot-based Dalit activist DD Solanki, and Congress leader Vashram Sagathiya, Jignesh met Jaipal Singh Rathore, Superintendent of Rajkot Rural Police, later in the day, demanding a case against Dangar under the IPC section 306 as well as under Atrocities Act.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here