Kanpur Businessman Death Case: CBI Files Chargesheet, Invokes Murder Charges Against 6 UP Cops

CBI found that the policemen had a heated argument with the businessman during which he fell and suffered fatal head injuries.

Lucknow: Months after their arrest, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today filed chargesheet against all 6 accused Uttar Pradesh policemen in connection with the death of a Kanpur businessman Manish Gupta in a hotel in Gorakhpur last year. 

The chargesheet invoked criminal conspiracy and murder charges against six cops, officials told news agency PTI.

Charges under the Indian Penal Code sections - 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) among others read with IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) were slapped on the six policemen. 

A 36-year-old businessman died after UP Police officials raided a hotel room in Gorakhpur where the victim was meeting his friends. According to reports, six policemen including a senior inspector barged into their hotel room and assaulted Gupta. His family had alleged that the cops even delayed taking him to the hospital, leading to his death.

On the intervening night of September 27 and 28, 2021 at about 12:00 am, the SHO along with two Sub-Inspectors and three other police personnel entered into the room of a hotel and started misbehaving with, CBI said.

It was also alleged that after Gupta protested, they (policemen) started beating him, resulting in grievous injuries to him. 

Gupta died on the spot.

Then SHO Jagat Narayan Singh, the then sub-inspectors Akshay Kumar Mishra, Vijay Yadav, Rahul Dubey, then Head Constable Kamlesh Singh Yadav and Constable Prashant Kumar are the six accused the case. All the six policemen named in the FIR are currently in jail.

Later on, the autopsy report revealed that Gupta suffered multiple injuries, including swelling in the middle of his head, a cut above the elbow joint and injuries to the upper lip.

The six accused were immediately suspended by the UP Police as the state government faced severe criticism from Opposition and on social media.