Lucknow, Oct 28 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday met the family members of businessman Mohit Pandey, who died in police custody due to alleged assault, and announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for them, officials said.

The government will also take care of the education expenses of the children of the deceased, they said.

Following a ruckus, the authorities on Sunday filed an FIR against the police station personnel on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. The head of the police station, among those booked, was suspended.

According to a statement, the chief minister offered his condolences to the bereaved family members and instructed the officials to provide them free Rs 10 lakh, housing, free education for children and access to various government schemes.

He also assured the family that those responsible for Pandey’s death would face strict consequences and promised that the culprits would not be spared.

The opposition has attacked the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the recent incidents of custodial deaths.

On Monday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav fired another salvo.

“I wish those who take life could give life in return. Those who put out the light of one’s house on Diwali, it is hoped that they will not light the lamps of falsehood, will not try to dispel the deep darkness of their reign with false light. The public is asking if a bulldozer will be used on the person who died in custody? Condemnable!” Yadav posted on X in Hindi.

Pandey’s mother Tapeshwari Devi along with his wife and children visited the Chief Minister’s official residence on Monday morning. After the meeting, the family expressed a sense of relief.

Tapeshwari Devi said, “We are satisfied after meeting the Chief Minister. He assured us that he was fully aware of the case and that there would be no leniency. Once the investigation is completed, strict action will be taken against those found guilty.” Bakshi Ka Talab MLA Yogesh Kumar Shukla and Councilor Shailendra Verma were also present during the meeting.

Pandey, a resident of Jainabad in Chinhat area, died at a hospital in police custody. His family members alleged that police brutality was the cause of his death.

The incident triggered a major political furor, with the Samajwadi Party, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party slamming the BJP government.

Earlier on Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav said the term “police custody” should be changed to “torture house”, while Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the BJP had “set up such jungle raj in the state where the police have become synonymous with brutality’.

BSP chief Mayawati called the incident “highly condemnable” and said the government must take effective steps to provide justice to the victim’s family.

According to police, Pandey was rushed to a community health center after he felt unwell at the police station. From there he was sent to a larger facility where he died, they said.

However, Shobharam, the victim’s brother who claimed he was also briefly held in custody, alleged that the police beat Pandey “mercilessly” in front of him and sent him to hospital only after he died.

A CCTV clip surfaced on the internet on Sunday purportedly showing Pandey lying inside the jail. Family members of the deceased accused the police of deliberately leaking only a small part of the footage to save their backs, claiming that Pandey was beaten to death.

A detailed post-mortem report is awaited.

Pandey’s is the second case of alleged death in police custody in Lucknow this month. On October 11, a Dalit youth Aman Gautam, a resident of Vikas Nagar, died in police custody. Gautam’s death also triggered a political uproar. PTI ABN KIS RT RT

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