Kanpur Businessman Death Case: Murder Charges Against 6 UP Cops By CBI

All six cops who were arrested in the death of a Kanpur businessman, Manish Gupta, have now been charged with murder. All of them were arrested in October after the death sparked huge outrage in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the state elections.

A case was filed by the CBI in November "on the request" of the state government, the central agency said in a statement, adding that the cops have been charged with murder, hurting, and criminal conspiracy.

In September, Mr Gupta, 36, was meeting his friends at a Gorakhpur hotel when a team of cops barged into their room for a late-night raid.

The raid was led by a senior inspector, Mr Gupta's family alleged. The cops were accused of assaulting the businessman and then delaying taking him to the hospital after he suffered multiple injuries, which led to his death, the family said.

Former Station House Officer Jagat Narayan Singh, former Head Constable Kamlesh Singh Yadav, sub-inspectors - Akshay Kumar Mishra, Vijay Yadav, and Rahul Dubey - have been named in the chargesheet.

"It was also alleged that on the protest of Manish Gupta, they (cops) started beating him, resulting in grievous injuries to him. Manish Gupta died on the spot," reads the CBI statement.

Many opposition leaders had attacked the Yogi Adityanath government over the raid as the autopsy report showed multiple injuries, including a swelling in the middle of his head, a cut above the elbow joint, and injuries to the upper lip in proof to the family's allegations.

Later, a video had gone viral that appeared to show Gorakhpur district magistrate Vijay Kiran Anand and police chief Vipin Tada dissuading the family from pursuing the case.