UP man spends 10 days in jail in case of mistaken identity

A man had to spend ten days in jail following a 'lapse' by the Ghatampur police of Kanpur district in Uttar Pradesh

Kanpur: A man had to spend ten days in jail following a ‘lapse’ by the Ghatampur police of Kanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.

A non-bailable warrant issued against one Pramod Sankhwar, who was previously arrested in 2021 for illegal firearm possession, was served on Pramod Sahu, a resident of the town’s Vasant Vihar area. Sahu, who was jailed even after he produced documents proving that he was not the man the police were looking for, was granted bail on September 22 after an agonising 10 days in prison. Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, joint commissioner of police (JCP) Anand Prakash Tiwari assured tough action against the errant officials.

---

“It is quite serious. The Ghatampur ACP has begun an inquiry and action will be taken against the policemen on the basis of the inquiry report,” the JCP said. After his arrest in 2021, Sankhwar, the son of one Durga Prasad, was out on bail. He, however, failed to appear in court, prompting the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against him on August 24 this year by the civil judge, junior division, officials said.

The warrant intended for Sankhwar was, however, erroneously served on Sahu, whose only fault was that he shared the same first name and father’s name as that of the accused. Sahu said: “I kept pleading with them, even showed them my identification papers, but nothing worked. The policemen, he said, told Sahu that his name was Pramod Kumar, his father was dead and that he beat his wife, whom they identified as Usha. He vehemently asserted his innocence before them. “My father Durga Prasad Sahu is alive, and my wife lives with me, and her name is not Usha.”

Nevertheless, the police officers wrongly accused him of a crime he did not commit and arrested him without due diligence. The case has drawn significant public attention, prompting Sahu to appear before commissioner R.K. Swarnkar, leading to the initiation of an official inquiry into the incident.