Dalit labourer found hanging in Saharanpur, family suspects murder; probe launched

SAHARANPUR: The body of a 35-year-old Dalit labourer was found hanging from a tree on Thursday in a field in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.

Superintendent of Police (rural), Sagar Jain, said the deceased, identified as Rajesh, was a resident of Jarauda Jat village and worked as a daily wage labourer for a local farmer, reported news agency PTI.

Police teams, accompanied by a forensic unit and the deceased's family, arrived at the scene soon after receiving the alert. The body was then taken into custody and sent for a post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death.

"According to preliminary information, Rajesh had gone around 2 am to operate a tubewell in the fields where he was working," Jain said. "Later in the morning, villagers heading to their fields spotted his body hanging from a tree and immediately informed the police."

He also informed that Rajesh’s family members allege that he was murdered and his body was hanged to make it look like a suicide.

Rajesh is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter, said the police.