UP: Saharanpur man dies after consuming poison, kin allege police harassment

Following the death of a man in Mandebaz village in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district, family members and relatives on Thursday alleged that certain police personnel in the area were involved in the issue and that Ravindra (45) was continuously harassed, leading to his death.

Saharanpur:Investigation has started following the death of one person due to poisoning in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district. The victim, identified as one Ravindra (45), a resident of Mandebaz village in the district, alleged in a video shortly before his death that two police personnel were harassing him over cutting off a tree on village premises, adding that the same was causing mental pressure for him.

The video has since gone viral, with associates of the deceased on Thursday noting that they found Ravindra lying in a field in critical condition. "When I received information (about the poisoning), I went on his search and found him lying in a field. While we were transporting him to the hospital in Saharanpur, upon being asked the reason behind such an act, he said he was being harassed by two policemen," said a relative of Ravindra.

"He had cut a tree, following which cops were harassing him without any FIR. Police personnel was repeatedly going to his residence and pressurizing him, threatening to file a case and sometimes by summoning him to the police station," the former further said.

The viral video, on the other hand, displayed Ravindra in a visibly bad state, alleging both 'carried guns'. "Both were policemen, one was a little healthy. Both carried guns. I don't know their names," he is heard saying.

Speaking on the issue, SP City Abhimanyu Manglik said the reason behind the drastic step was being probed. "Prima facie, according to statements from family members, it happened after police personnel raided his home, which is when he got pressurized. The police had received inputs a few days back of him chopping a tree situated on government land. Further investigation will be carried out," he stated.

When asked about the alleged role of bike-borne policemen, however, Manglik said it would be taken into account. "It remains to be seen why the two were harassing him, and whether it happened at all," he added.