Tension gripped the Raunapar area of Azamgarh district on Monday afternoon following the death of a madrassa manager during a police operation at his residence. The deceased, an accused in financial fraud cases, passed away as officers attempted to arrest him, sparking allegations of police harassment from his family and local protests.
Sequence of Events During the Raid
According to Azamgarh ASP (Rural) Chirag Jain, a police team from Raunapar arrived at the home of Kalamuddin (56) to arrest him. Kalamuddin was a wanted suspect in cases of embezzlement and fraud filed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in February 2025. Upon seeing the police, the accused allegedly tried to flee the scene.
"After running a short distance, he became breathless and collapsed," stated ASP Jain. As his condition deteriorated rapidly, family members took him to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Family's Allegations and Road Blockade
The incident quickly escalated as the news spread. Kalamuddin's family, including his wife Nisha and sons Mohammad Anees, Talib, Atif, and Arif, alongside neighbours, vehemently contested the police version. They alleged that he died due to physical assault and harassment by the raiding party.
In a dramatic protest, the aggrieved family and locals placed Kalamuddin's body in front of the Raunapar police station and blocked the road, demanding action against the involved officers. The situation required immediate intervention from senior police officials to control the crowd.
Police Response and Postmortem Findings
Senior officers, including CO (Sagdi) Anil Kumar Verma and CO (city) Shubham Todi, rushed to the spot with substantial reinforcements from Jahanaganj, Bilariaganj, and Jiyanpur police stations. The police force denied all allegations of assault or use of excessive force.
Officials managed to pacify the protesting family members, following which the body was sent for a postmortem examination. The autopsy report later clarified the cause of death. "The postmortem report stated the cause of death as cardiac arrest," ASP Chirag Jain confirmed, adding that no signs of internal or external injuries were found on the body.
Initial investigations revealed that Kalamuddin was a known cardiac patient and was undergoing treatment for the condition. He managed a local madrassa and was facing the two financial fraud cases at the time of the incident.
Aftermath and Precautionary Measures
As a precautionary measure to prevent any further escalation of law and order, a heavy police force has been deployed in the Raunapar area. The police maintain that the death was an unfortunate medical incident unrelated to their conduct during the raid, while the family's allegations have cast a shadow over the operation, highlighting the sensitive nature of such actions.
