Police officer Mohan Singh was caught on camera admitting to his mistake and asking for punishment
Highlights
- Policeman seen on camera admitting to his mistake has been suspended
- Four other constables have been shifted out
- Police admits to three-hour delay in taking Rakbar Khan to hospital
After lapses by the police in getting medical care for the mob attack victim in Rajasthan's Alwar sparked political ripples, action has been taken against an officer and four constables involved in the matter. The police said on Monday that preliminary investigation has confirmed lapses - a three-hour delay in taking Rakbar Khan to the hospital, which was reported by NDTV on Sunday.
When the man reached the hospital at 4 am, the doctors declared him dead.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Mohan Singh, who was caught on camera admitting to his mistake and asking for punishment, has been suspended.
Four other constables have been sent to Police Lines. Among them is driver Harinder who was allegedly the person seen kicking Rakbar Khan inside the vehicle.
Rakbar Khan and his friend Aslam were targeted at Alwar's Lallawandi village after they were suspected of smuggling cattle. The men were leading two cows they had bought at a nearby village.
The police got a call and managed to rescue Rakbar Khan from his attackers at 1 am. But instead of taking the injured man straight to the hospital, they chose to see his cows to a local cow shelter, stop at the police station and even take a tea break. By the time they reached the local hospital, he was dead.
Doctors said he died of internal bleeding following a heavy beating.
Alwar mob killing: Rakbar Khan was dead by the time he was taken to the hospital
Deeper questions have been raised about the role of the police after a man from the local right-wing group, who accompanied the police for part of the journey, circulated photographs that showed Rakbar Khan sitting upright in the police car.
"See I took this picture in the police vehicle. See, he looks fine," Naval Kishore told NDTV, implying that Rakbar Khan was fine before he was taken to the police station - their last stop before he was taken to the hospital.
"We have no information yet about the victim being thrashed in custody, but yes, prima facie we have found that there was indeed an error in judgement in deciding what was important at that point," news agency ANI quoted NRK Reddy, Special Director General of Police, as saying on the role of the police a day after an NDTV investigation detected lapses on their part.
On Sunday, state lawmaker Gyandev Ahuja said the man died not because of beating by crowds but in police custody, to which home minister Gulab Chand Kataria has said the guilty will be punished. Later, as the opposition raised a storm over the issue the investigation was transferred from the local police station and handed to a senior police officer.