Lucknow: The death of CRPF jawan Vineet Singh (37), posted in Manipur, triggered a five-hour road blockade on Friday morning in Lucknow. His family alleged that harassment by senior officers drove him to suicide and demanded a fresh post-mortem examination, a fair probe, martyr status, a govt job for a dependent and financial aid.The protest erupted after Singh’s body reached his Budheshwar residence under Dubagga police station limits. Family members and local residents placed the body on the Dubagga-Awadh crossing road, disrupting traffic towards the Kanpur highway.Singh, a constable with the CRPF’s 112 battalion, allegedly sustained a gunshot injury inside the camp in Manipur. His wife, Neha Singh, claimed he had been facing mental harassment from senior officers and questioned the circumstances of his death.She said she last spoke to her husband at 7.36 pm on Aug 5, when he told her he was unwell, under stress following a recent firing incident at the camp and had been denied leave. She received a video call from CRPF officials 11 minutes later, informing her that he had been found critically injured. He later died.The family rejected the post-mortem examination conducted in Manipur and sought a second autopsy in Lucknow along with an independent inquiry into the role of senior officers.Senior police and civil officials, including additional DCP (west) Dhananjay Kushwaha and ACP Kakori Shakeel Ahmad reached the spot and held prolonged talks with the protesters. The blockade was lifted after officials told the family that their grievances would be forwarded to the district administration and examined.The body was subsequently taken to Singh’s native village in Hardoi, where he was cremated with state honours on Friday.A 2009 CRPF recruit, Singh is survived by his wife and son. The CRPF has not issued any public statement on the family’s allegations.
