Dalit youth’s death sparks angry protest at railway station

Phagwara, Pandemonium prevailed at the local railway station for about three hours on Monday as protesters disrupted rail traffic and vandalised rooms and offices to protest the alleged custodial death of a Dalit youth.
Police said the protesters also allegedly ransacked furniture and other railway goods on the platform, flinging them on the tracks and blocked them for sometime, disrupting rail traffic on Up and Down lines.
Protests were being carried out against the custodial death of a 23-year-old youth, identified as Lucky. However, officials described the death as a case of abetment of suicide.
At least two trains were delayed for 20 minutes to 70 minutes. 14650 Dn Amritsar-Jai Nagar Saryu Yamuna Express, which was stranded around 4.40 pm near Satnampura railway crossing, left around 5.52 pm, while, another train Indore Jammu Tawi Malwa Express was detained for about 20 minutes between Phagwara and Goraya.
The protesters also allegedly vandalised the room of Station Superintendent Bhushan Nandwani.
The protest was called off around 6 pm after a case under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of IPC was registered against local Government Railway Police Post incharge ASI Pawittar Singh who was also placed under suspension.
Senior GRP and Punjab police officers, including Kapurthala SSP Ashish Chowdhary and GRP SP Lakhwinder Singh Khaira, had a tough time controlling the rampaging mob, which was mostly from the Dalit community.
The protesters demanded that Pawittar Singh should be booked under Section 302 (murder) of IPC.
Lucky’s father Inderjit, who is a ‘safai sevak’ at local railway station, and his mother Rani, alleged that their son was picked up by the police from their house in railway colony on Saturday on charges of theft.
“First, we were told that Lucky had escaped from police custody yesterday and then informed today that his body was found lying near railway tracks near Goraya,” said the tearful parents.
They alleged that their son was tortured to death by GRP officials, who later threw the body on rail track, and hence the responsible GRP officials should be booked and arrested on charges of murder.
However, Kapurthala SSP Ashish Chowdhary and GRP SP Lakhwinder Singh Khaira said that Lucky was arrested under Section 379 (theft) of IPC on February 21 and he had “escaped from custody on Sunday.”
They also informed that a judicial probe had already begun into the case, they said, adding, Phillaur Judicial Magistrate, Kamal Varinder was conducting the probe. — PTI