"Rohella asked Praveen to pay for the cigarettes"
In a horrifying incident in Bazpur, Uttarakhand, an Indian policeman ran over a 28-year-old shopkeeper on December 30, 2020.
The victim, Guarav Rohella asked the accused identified as Praveen Kumar to pay for the cigarettes he bought.
Praveen allegedly got angry at being asked to pay and ran his car over Rohella and crushed him to death.
The accused was accompanied by two others, who have been identified as Praveen’s brother-in-law Jivan Kumar and Gaurav Rathore.
After the incident, the three accused absconded in their vehicle.
Whereas, Rohella was bought to a nearby hospital and declared dead.
Rohella’s family members, along with a large number of locals, gathered at Bazpur police station with his body.
They demanded stern action against the policeman and his accomplices.
A manhunt was launched by the Bazpur police and the accused along with his two accomplices was arrested on December 31, 2020.
The police inspector in charge of the case, Dipshikha Agarwal stated:
“In the initial investigation, we found that the incident happened at 10.30 pm on December 30, 2020.
“The accused policeman Praveen Kumar, his brother-in-law Jivan Kumar accompanied by Gaurav Rathore came to Rohella’s shop in their car.
“They asked him for cigarettes which he gave them.
“When they started leaving without payment, Rohella asked Praveen to pay for the cigarettes which enraged him.
“Praveen along with his accomplices started abusing Rohella.
“This led to a heated argument between the three accused and Rohella and his brother Ajay, who was also present at the shop.
“Praveen then ran his car over Rohella, crushing him under it.”
The accused have been booked under sections 302(murder), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The director-general of police Ashok Kumar also took serious note of the case.
He has ordered the district police to take strict action against the accused and his accomplices.
Kumar said:
“None of the accused will be spared in the case and strict action will be taken against them.”
“I appeal all not to disturb the law and order.”
The latest case comes among increasing publicity of cases of brutal police killings in India, which have reignited a discussion about police brutality.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India stated:
“As per recent reports 194 people have died in police custody in India since the start of 2019.”
Statistics show that officers are rarely convicted for their actions which are often committed against the most vulnerable members of society.
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