Sushila Devi, a 66-year-old widow from Uttar Pradesh, continues her desperate vigil outside the Allahabad High Court complex alongside her family, pleading for news of her 36-year-old son, a dedicated inspector in the Uttar Pradesh Police, who vanished on 17 September following an alleged pickup by Aligarh police amid a heated domestic quarrel with his wife.
The family accuses authorities of stonewalling their pleas for information, with no confirmed sightings or custody records emerging despite repeated complaints lodged over three months; Aligarh officials have issued no public statements verifying the events, while the mother demands an immediate high court-ordered probe to uncover the truth and ensure his safety. This case spotlights tensions between family rights and police procedures, with activists urging swift action to prevent further distress.
A Mother’s Heartbreaking Plea
Sushila Devi’s frail figure, seated on the cold stone steps of the Allahabad High Court under the relentless December sun, embodies the raw agony of a parent robbed of answers. Day after day, she huddles with relatives, clutching faded photographs of her son a sharp-uniformed officer whose badge once symbolised pride for their modest family in Aligarh.
“My boy left home that morning after a silly argument with his wife; he was always the peacemaker in our house,” she recounted to passersby and journalists, her voice trembling with exhaustion.
Neighbours describe him as a quiet, upright man who patrolled the streets of Aligarh with fairness, rising through the ranks over a decade of service without a blemish on his record.
Local women’s rights groups have rallied around the family, decrying the opacity that shrouds such incidents and drawing parallels to other custodial mysteries that erode faith in the uniform.
Yet, as weeks turn to months, Sushila’s hope flickers like a diya in the wind, sustained only by whispers of divine intervention and the court’s looming promise of justice.
Roots of the Family Feud
The saga unfolded on a tense evening in mid-September, when a routine domestic spat between the inspector and his wife escalated beyond the home’s walls. Reports suggest the wife dialled emergency services amid the altercation, prompting a swift response from local Aligarh police who, according to the family’s narrative, escorted the officer away for “questioning” rather than mediation.
What followed was silence: no call logs, no formal arrest papers, no updates on his transfer to a station or release. The family rushed to the Aligarh police station the next day, only to face bureaucratic hurdles vague assurances of “ongoing inquiries” that dissolved into inaction.
By early October, they escalated to the local superintendent, filing a formal missing person report, yet responses remained elusive, with officials citing “sensitive family matters” as grounds for restraint.
This backdrop reveals deeper systemic cracks: in Uttar Pradesh, where police handle thousands of domestic calls yearly, protocols for on-duty personnel in personal disputes often blur lines between intervention and overreach, leaving families adrift. Activists point to rising complaints of untracked detentions, especially in smaller towns, where accountability lags behind authority.
Shadows of Suspicion and Calls for Accountability
As the high court petition gains traction, scrutiny intensifies on the Aligarh force’s handling or mishandling of the case. The family’s lawyer argues before the bench that preliminary inquiries hint at possible off-record custody, a claim unsubstantiated but fuelled by the absence of digital trails like CCTV footage from the couple’s residence or station logs.
Community leaders in Aligarh have organised small protests, demanding the inspector’s service records be cross-checked against leave applications, while human rights watchdogs invoke Supreme Court guidelines on custodial deaths and disappearances, mandating time-bound investigations.
No senior UP Police spokesperson has addressed the media directly, but a leaked internal memo circulated among activists urges “discretion” in domestic cases involving ranks, hinting at efforts to shield reputations. This veil of secrecy amplifies the family’s ordeal, transforming a private quarrel into a public indictment of institutional trust.
Broader context from similar Uttar Pradesh incidents underscores a pattern: over the past year, at least a dozen police personnel have faced internal probes for personal conduct, yet resolutions rarely see daylight, perpetuating cycles of doubt among both citizens and colleagues.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The vanishing of a police inspector meant to protect society while his elderly mother weeps at the gates of justice lays bare the fragility of empathy within our law enforcement pillars. The Logical Indian champions dialogue as the antidote to discord, urging authorities to prioritise family welfare through transparent tracking systems and mandatory family notifications in every intervention.
Kindness demands we humanise every badge, ensuring no quarrel spirals into oblivion without trace. Harmony thrives when power bows to accountability, fostering coexistence where victims of circumstance find solace, not suspicion. True social progress hinges on reforms that bridge these gaps, turning tragedies into turning points for kinder governance.
