An RTI activist, who was facing charges of forgery, allegedly fell down from an overbridge while in police custody in Davangere district and succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. The wife of the deceased, however, accused the police of murdering her husband.
The deceased, Harish Halli, 36, is a native of Kabbala village in Channagiri taluk and he was facing charges of forging documents in a land deal case. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. on Sunday when the police were bringing him to Gandhinagar Police Station.
According to police sources, when the car in which Harish was being brought to the station was passing over the overbridge at Tolahunase, he allegedly jumped out of the car and lept from the bridge. A grievously injured Harish was rushed to a private hospital in Davangere, where he breathed his last.
Following the incident, K.R. Latha, Harish’s wife, accused the police of murdering her husband. She refuted the police version of the incident and lodged a complaint with the Davangere Rural police alleging that police sub-inspector Krishnappa, police constable Devaraja, jeep driver Irshad, and one Babu Rao K. forcefully took away her husband and murdered him.
Meanwhile, the judge concerned conducted an inquest in the presence of relatives and the post-mortem was conducted by a team of two doctors.
Superintendent of Police of Davangere district Arun K. said a request had been sent for transferring the case to the Criminal Investigation Department.
(Those in distress or those having suicidal tendencies can call Arogya Sahayavani Ph.: 104 for help.)
