Kader Momin in hospital. Telegraph picture

Behrampore, April 5: A wedding guest was randomly picked up with three of his relati- ves from a roadside, confined for eight hours and thrashed in a Murshidabad police station before being released without any charges.

Kader Momin, in hospital with gashes in his leg, and injuries on his hands and back, was verbally accused — no written charges were made — of having illicit liquor by the police officer who had picked them up on Saturday. Before being released at villagers’ insistence, the four were forced to sign on blank sheets of paper.

The beating by the officer in charge of Shamsergunj po-lice station, Sandip Sen, and two guards started when Kader requested the cops to run fans, which weren’t working because of a power cut, with a generator.

“The injury appears to be from assault. We have recommended an X-ray to find out possible damage to the bones,” said a doctor at the Jangipur sub-divisional hospital where Kader has been admitted.

Kader, a small farmer from Malda’s Kaliachak, said from his hospital bed that he had come with others to Mathpara village to attend the wedding of his brother-in-law as part of the barjatri. “Around 3.30pm (Saturday), we were sitting under a tree as it was very hot inside. Suddenly, a police jeep stopped on the road. The OC asked us to sit inside and drove us to the police station. We said we had come for a wedding but he would not believe us. He accused us of having illicit liquor,” said Kader.

The fans in the lockup where Kader and his relatives were lodged with 16 other people were not connected to the police station’s generator. When Kader requested the guards to get the fans running, he got a thrashing. “The guards took me to the OC who started beating me up with sticks.” said Kader, adding he lay in a corner bleeding.

The four were released after 11pm, after villagers from Mathpara arrived. “On hearing that we were part of a barjatri, the OC released us after forcing us to sign blank sheets of paper,” Kader said.

Kader’s father-in-law Alauddin Sheikh has lodged a complaint with Murshidabad police chief B.L. Meena.