Four police constables in Bengaluru were convicted of beating a suspected burglar to death while in custody and sentenced to seven years of simple imprisonment. The incident took place in 2016, when Mahendra Rathod was arrested by Jeevanbima Nagar police in connection with a house-break theft.
Rathod, who was allegedly beaten in the police lockup on March 19, 2016, later died from the injuries sustained during the assault. The defense from the accused constables, who claimed that Rathod’s death was due to sickle cell disease, was disproven by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). They subjected Rathod’s children to blood tests to confirm the hereditary condition, which came back negative, debunking the claim that he had sickle cell disease.
Autopsy reports confirmed that Rathod’s death was caused by physical assault, leading to the conviction of Head Constable Ejaj Khan and Constables Keshava Murthy, Mohan Ram, and Siddappa Bommanahalli, all of whom were involved in the assault. The court found them guilty under IPC Section 304 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Special Judge Yashwanthkumar sentenced the officers to seven years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 55,000 each, with an additional year of imprisonment if they failed to pay. The four convicts have been moved to Bengaluru Central Prison.
Read also