The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the death of Kanpur businessman Manish Gupta allegedly after being thrashed by police in Gorakhpur.
A recommendation to this effect has been made to the central government on the directives of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish K Awasthi said in a press statement.
The 36-year-old businessman had died after being allegedly assaulted by the police at a Gorakhpur hotel which they had raided on Monday night.
Till the time the CBI takes over the inquiry, the special investigating team set up for the purpose will probe the matter, transferring the case to Kanpur from Gorakhpur, the statement said.
The government has also ordered the appointment of the businessman's wife Meenakshi Gupta as an officer on special duty in the Kanpur Development Authority.
The chief minister has directed for enhancing the financial help to the bereaved family to Rs 40 lakh, the statement added.
Adityanath had met relatives of the businessman during his visit to Kanpur on Thursday, after which the Chief Minister's Office announced a job for the wife of the deceased and an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh.
With the assembly elections in the state just months away, the opposition parties such as the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress mounted scathing attacks on the Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party government over the incident.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav who visited the house of the businessman in Kanpur on Thursday had demanded a CBI probe into the incident under the supervision of a sitting judge of the high court.
"The incident is part of the state government's 'thoko neeti' (encounter policy) which has given licence to trigger-happy policemen to kill people," Yadav had told reporters.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati too sought a CBI inquiry.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a tweet in Hindi, said, "What kind of image of Uttar Pradesh is being created by the chief minister. After the ruthless murder of an innocent businessman, district-level officers kept pressuring so that FIR is not registered and the top officers of the state made statements to protect the accused policemen. Action should be taken against such officers immediately."
The state government has suspended six policemen and booked them on the charge of murder.
Gupta was staying with his two friends in the hotel when the incident happened.
The police had earlier denied the charge and said he received a head injury after he fell on the ground as he was in a drunken state.
