A Dalit woman named Amita Devi (35) allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself to death on Tuesday due to torture by police. She took the extreme step in her house at Bhandor village in Sewar police station area of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan.
The family members of Amita have alleged that she was tortured and abused by the police who took her to the Sewar police station on Monday to inquire about her husband who had reportedly eloped with a young girl from the village 15 days ago.
Even after being released she was constantly being threatened by the police which made her take the drastic step, alleged the Dalit woman’s family members.
The Police were informed of the suicide and they promptly reached the spot.
According to sources the Dalit woman’s husband had eloped with a schoolgirl living in the same village 15 days ago. Acting on the complaint lodged by the young girl’s parents, the Sewar police picked up Amita Devi and her brother-in-law from their house and took them to the police station for investigation suspecting that she was aware of her husband’s whereabouts.
During interrogation, Amita was allegedly thrashed and humiliated by cops who told her that they would beat her up again if she didn’t give up her husband’s location.
Depressed after she returned home from the Sewer police station at around 11 pm on Monday night, Amita narrated her ordeal to her younger sister.
Humiliated by what transpired the 35-year-old locked herself in her room and was found hanging from the ceiling on Tuesday morning, the sister said.
The family demanded a probe against the Sewar police personnel in abetting the death, following which an inquiry has been started against the cops. The police have, however, denied the charges against them saying that Amita Devi was not tortured or threatened by them.
This is, however, not the first time Rajasthan police has been accused of this kind of mistreatment and brutality. A similar case where Rajasthan police had been charged for allegedly gang-raping and brutally beating up a Dalit woman in Sardarshahr Police station in Churu, Rajasthan had been reported on July 16, 2019.
A 35-year-old Dalit woman and her brother-in-law Nemichand were allegedly illegally detained by the then SHO and other police officers. The woman had alleged that she was raped, tortured and beaten up after her brother in law died in police custody. Subsequently, an FIR had been registered against the then SHO and five to seven other police officers.
