Three women and a 7-year-old boy who came to Uttar Pradesh from Kerala on September 23 to meet their relatives in prision had to spend 36 days in jail for allegedly faking their RT-PCR tests.
The four, who returned to Kerala on October 31, without meeting their relatives, however, denied the charge claiming that in all 11 people including local contacts and other relatives took the same RT-PCR test, but they were singled out by the Uttar Pradesh Police and jailed for violating Covid-19 protocols.
They said that since they can’t speak Hindi they had to go through a ‘terrible time in jail’ and the two of the four who were above 60, their routine medication were affected as well. HT is not revealing the identities of the four in order to protect the identity of the minor.
The three women had come to Uttar Pradesh to meet their two releatives, who was arrested by the UP Police earlier this year on terror charges, alleged members of the Popular Front of India, a controversial outfit.
A relative of the four said that they had first gone to the Gosaiganj police station in Lucknow on September 24 after being told that their kin will be produced in court, and they could meet them there. After spending the whole day at the police station they were told that the accused will be produced in the court virtually. Next day, they were advised to go to the jail after taking RT-PCR tests and they subsequently submitted the reports at the district jail. The relative said that on September 25 they were picked up from the hotel they were staying and the arrest was recorded two days later. They were booked under Sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code after a complaint was filed by prison officer Ajay Raj at the Gosaiganj police station.
“They said they had a tough time as police officers intimidated and threatened them. Though they knew they don’t understand Hindi they frequently asked questions in Hindi. They said only two women constables were present when they were picked up from their hotel,” the relative said.
“First five days they were kept in a Covid-19 observation centre and they even failed to get proper food and were forced to wear the same dress for five days or so. Once they were shifted to the women jail; things turned normal,” the relative said.
The relative said that a bail application was moved in a local court on September 29, which was turned down since several non-bailable provisions were added in the case. Another application was moved on October 20 at the chief judicial magistrate court and bail was finally granted.
The relative said that the bail provisions were so strict that they had to furnish six sureties for three women and property documents worth ₹50,000. “There were strict verifications of documents in the police station and later at revenue offices. It took us 10 days to clear them,” the relative said, adding they were finally released on October 31 evening. “The mother told me that they were not even treated as human beings,” the relative added.
The UP Police, however, denied the charges. Gosaiganj assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Shweta Chowdhary said, “The FIR was lodged on the basis of an enquiry conducted by the jail administration. The investigation officer of the case has been asked to submit an explanation for delay in the probe.”
