CM Yogi Adityanath meets kin of custodial death victim in Lucknow, announces Rs 10 lakh compensation | Lucknow News

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath met the family of trader Mohit Pandey on Monday, who died in police custody due to alleged assault and announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. Officials stated that the government will also cover the education expenses of Pandey’s children.
Pandey, aged 30, passed away on Saturday after allegedly being beaten by police following his arrest related to a case. He was a resident of Jainabad in the Chinhat area of Lucknow and died at a hospital. His family accused police brutality as the cause of his death.
The incident sparked significant political controversy. Political parties Samajwadi Party, Congress, and Bahujan Samaj Party criticized the BJP government over the incident.
Police stated that Pandey was taken to a community health center after he felt unwell at the police station. He was then referred to a bigger facility where he died. However, Shobharam, the victim’s brother, claimed he was also briefly in custody and witnessed the police beating Pandey “mercilessly” before sending him to the hospital only after he had died.
A CCTV footage clip appeared online showing Pandey inside the lockup. The deceased’s family accused the police of releasing only a small part of the footage to hide the truth, claiming it showed Pandey being beaten to death. A detailed post-mortem report is awaited.
Authorities responded to the uproar by ordering an FIR against the police station personnel involved, on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. The in-charge of the police station has been suspended.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav remarked that “police custody” should be referred to as “torture house,” while Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the BJP of creating a “jungle raj” where “police have become synonymous with brutality.” BSP chief Mayawati called the incident “highly condemnable” and urged for effective steps to provide justice to the family.
This incident is the second case of alleged police custody death in Lucknow this month. Earlier, a Dalit youth named Aman Gautam, from Vikas Nagar, also died in police custody on October 11, leading to similar political outcry.