Viral video queers pitch for Gorakhpur Police

A video clip, shared on the social media has queered the pitch for senior officials of Gorakhpur where a Kanpur businessman was allegedly beaten to death by policemen.

Though the policemen were booked for murder on Wednesday night, the video clip shows top officials allegedly trying to dissuade the family of businessman Manish Gupta from pursuing the case.

The purported video was shared on Twitter by Sanjay Singh, Rajya Sabha MP of the Aam Aadmi Party.

The video appears to show the district magistrate telling the family that a court case will take years.

"I am requesting you like an elder brother. After a court case, you will not believe, it takes years in court," the district magistrate Vijay Karan Anand is heard telling the family.

The video then appears to show police chief Vipin Tada saying "They did not have any previous enmity. They went in uniform and that is why I am listening to you since morning. You asked for them to be suspended and I did that. They will not be reinstated till they get a clean chit."

The family of the Kanpur-based businessman who died under suspicious circumstances at a Gorakhpur hotel has alleged that he was beaten to death by police during a raid.

Manish Gupta's wife, Meenakshi, has accused the police and hotel staff of a cover-up.

"My husband was murdered in that hotel, he was killed by a policeman. There was no blood on the scene even though my husband was beaten bloody. Two of his friends said that there was blood everywhere, but the hotel staff cleaned it up," she told reporters.

A blood soaked towel was later found by family members under the bed in the hotel room which proves that Manish had bled severely.

Meenakshi Gupta further said that the family has three demands to the authorities-- that the case be transferred to Kanpur, the family be given Rs 50 lakh in compensation and a job by the state government.

Manish Gupta, a 38-year-old property dealer from Kanpur, died in a hotel in Gorakhpur in the early hours of Tuesday. Police said they entered his hotel room as they were on the lookout for "suspicious persons".

They claim Manish Gupta died of a head injury sustained from falling to the ground in a state of drunkenness.

However, the victim's family members claim he died after the policemen, who entered his room, attacked him.

Six cops were suspended on Tuesday night and a murder case was filed against them on Wednesday.

A case under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC has been registered against the six policemen and a hunt has been launched to nab them.

The policemen booked for murder include J N Singh, sub-inspector Vijay Yadav and Phalmandi Police post in-charge Akshay Mishra. The authorities had also suspended the policemen, including the Ramgarhtal SHO on Tuesday, and handed over the probe to the SP city.

Kanpur district magistrate and Police Commissioner met Manish Gupta's family on Wednesday and assured them of a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Manish Gupta's body was brought to his home in Para, Kanpur.

However, his family refused to cremate the body till the accused are arrested. Despite attempts by the administration throughout the day, the family did not agree to give consent for the cremation.

Harveer Singh, one of the men who was inside the hotel room with Manish Gupta, told reporters "The three of us were sleeping in our room. Around 12:30 a.m, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and there were five-seven policemen there along with the boy from the reception. They came inside the room and started asking us for IDs. I showed my ID and then woke up Manish. He asked the cops why we were being troubled this late at night. The cops then started threatening us."

He further said, "They appeared drunk. I was slapped by one of the policemen. Some of them had guns. The cops then took me outside. A while later, I saw Manish was being dragged out of the room by the cops and there was blood all over his face."