Man commits suicide, family allege police torture while moving out to buy milk

PATIALA: A middle-aged man in Patiala committed suicide and his family alleged that he was allegedly cane charged by the police while going out to buy milk for the family. The family alleged that he was brutally beaten up by the police following which he returned home and committed suicide late in the evening on Thursday after feeling insulted.
The deceased has been identified as Bhupinder Singh, 45 of Patiala city and was working as a driver according to his family members. The family claimed that he was at his home since the lockdown was announced.
However, the police refuted all the allegations of the family members and claimed that Bhupinder’s wife lodged a complaint of domestic violence against him on Thursday following which the police reached the spot and asked the woman to lodge an official complaint with the police but later in the evening Bhupinder committed suicide.
Sharanjeet Kaur, wife of the deceased said, “My husband went outside to purchase milk in the morning but he was badly insulted and assaulted by the police on the way back home. He felt too much insulted after being beaten up by the cops and later in the evening he committed suicide.”
Bhupinder’s sixteen years old daughter also claimed that his father was beaten up by the police while he was returning with the milk he had bought from a shop in Lakkad Mandi area.
Sub-Inspector Sukhdev Singh, Station House Officer Kotwali Patiala, said, “We got a complaint against Bhupinder for indulging in domestic violence. The duty officer was sent to the spot who held counselling of Bhupinder and asked him not to create a mess by torturing his wife and children as already people are facing lockdown. Later we got information that he had committed suicide.”
He added, "Earlier also complaints against Bhupinder for indulging in domestic violence were received however every time he was sent back home from the police station after the compromise used to take place between both Bhupinder and his wife.”
When asked if any case was registered in the past, SHO said, “No case was ever registered against Bhupinder Singh as they both used to land in compromise.”
SHO refuted the allegations of Bhupinder’s family members and said, “Bhupinder’s wife wants to save her own skin and hence she had concocted a story of police cane-charge.”
SP City Varun Sharma refuted allegations and said, “The Kotwali police got information about domestic violence by Bhupinder Singh. The police reached and witnessed people gathering around Bhupinder’s house during curfew and they were asked to leave back their homes. Bhupinder’s wife was asked to lodge an official complaint in the police station for further action. She alleged that Bhupinder used to remain drunk and then assault her and his children. However, an hour later the police were informed by the residents that Bhupinder had hanged himself to death at 8.30 pm.”
The deceased was survived by a wife, teenaged daughter and a son in his family. The police said that post mortem of the deceased was underway and the dead body will be handed over to the family after completing all the formalities.
Meanwhile, the videos of both Bhupinder's wife and daughter accusing the police cane-charging and insult responsible behind the suicide has gone viral over the social media sites including Facebook and WhatsApp.