UP cops charge dead man, son seeks action

BAREILLY : UP police filed a chargesheet in a local court in Budaun in a year-old case related to alleged killing of a pair of snakes , and the family of the accused recently received court summons to appear before it. However, in a major embarrassment for local cops, one of the accused named in the chargesheet was reported to have died nine years ago, and his son, who appeared before the court on Friday with a death certificate of his father, has demanded action against investigating officer responsible for the "shoddy" probe.

Acknowledging the "error", circle officer (Ujhani) Shakti Singh told TOI on Saturday: "We've just come to know about flaws in the chargesheet and we'll look into this matter as per the directions of the court."

In the case, police registered an FIR against Rajpal Maurya, and during the probe, investigating officer, Mukesh Kumar Tyagi, included the name of Jaspal (who goes only by first name) in the chargesheet. The incident was reported from Barayamay Kheda under Ujhani limits in Budaun district, and after the summons, Jaspal's son, Bhagwan Das, appeared before the court and said his father had died in March 2015.

Bhagwan Das said, "We received summons for my father. We were told there is a criminal case against him. My father had passed away nearly a decade ago, and the cops included his name in a year-old case. They've insulted my dad, and the particular officer should be suspended."

The complainant, Vijendra Sharma, told TOI: "The FIR was registered against Rajpal Maurya by me for killing two snakes. The snakes were found in his house, and he had killed both with the help of others. Police have done a shoddy investigation, and I'll write to SSP Budaun to take action against those responsible."

"A video where a few men were seen killing a pair of snakes in Budaun had surfaced last year and I had submitted that clip to police as well," he said.