The Uttar Pradesh Police is “soft” on criminal and “brutal” with common people, said Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday commenting over the death of a Kanpur businessman after he was allegedly thrashed by policemen.
 
Congress leader Priyanka also talked to family members of the victim over the phone, expressing grief and assuring them of help in ensuring justice, party sources said.
 
Earlier Manish Gupta (36) had died in a Gorakhpur hotel during a police raid, prompting the authorities to suspend six policemen and booking them on the charge of murder.
 
Gupta was staying along with two friends in the hotel. Police had earlier denied the charge and said he received a head injury after he fell on the ground as he was drunk.
 
According to reports, a businessman in Gorakhpur was beaten up by police after which he died, Priyanka said.
 
“The state of jungle law is such under this government that police are soft on criminals and behave barbarously with common people,” the Congress leader said in a tweet.
 
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said the incident was the result of the “encounter culture” of the state government.
 
Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati also attacked BJP government, saying the incident exposed tall claims over law and order.
 
Reacting to the incident, Mayawati in a Hindi tweet said, “The barbaric act against three businessmen during a raid in a hotel in the CM’s home district is very said and shameful.”
 
Gupta’s wife Meenakshi alleged that her husband died after police thrashed him.
 
The wife of the deceased had refused to accept her husband’s body after the post-mortem examination, insisting on first registering a case against the policemen.
 
However, the family members took the body and left for Kanpur around 1 am on Tuesday night, Anand said.
 
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Meenakshi shared a video seeking justice and support from the people to give justice to her deceased husband. 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.

According to police, during checking on Monday night, the Ramgarhtal Police found that three people were staying on an ID of one Chandan Saini of Mahadeva Bazar in the Sikriganj area of Gorakhpur. On getting suspicious, they went to the room where Manish Gupta was with his two friends, Pradeep Chauhan and Hari Chauhan of Gurgaon.
 
Police said while they were questioning the trio, Manish Gupta fell on the ground as he was drunk and suffered a head injury. He was taken to BRD Medical College where he died during treatment, police claimed.
 
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.
 
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.”
 
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also spoke to the deceased’s wife, Meenakshi Gupta, on Tuesday night and extended his condolences while the state government announced Rs 10 lakh as financial assistance for the family.
 
Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada here on Wednesday said a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against 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, Gorakhpur DM Vijay Kiran Anand said. The authorities had suspended the policemen, including the Ramgarhtal SHO, on Tuesday and handed over the probe to the superintendent of police (city)