The reported suicide by a girl in the Mahmudabad police station in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh triggered violence, with a mob fighting pitched battles with the police on Monday, throwing stones and torching a police vehicle. The police used force to bring the situation under control.

The police said the girl was found hanging in the toilet of the police station. But her family members said the police were floating the suicide theory to conceal the real crime.

IG (Law and Order) A. Satish Ganesh told journalists that the girl, daughter of Maqbool Ahmed, was spotted by Amar Singh Chauhan, a sugar mill employee, on Monday morning when she was allegedly trying to jump into a canal. He handed her over to the nearest police picket around 6 a.m.

Policemen at the picket reportedly took her to the Mahmudabad station. The girl wanted to go to the toilet; as there was no response after 10-15 minutes, the door was opened. “She was found hanging from the skylight with her dupatta,” Mr. Ganesh said.

He said the girl’s family members were informed of the autopsy at Sitapur District Hospital. Instructions were given that the post-mortem should be video-graphed. On receiving the information, the family members and hundreds of people blocked traffic near the police station, throwing stones and setting a police vehicle ablaze.