Kanpur custody death of Dalit youth : Brother says police beat them up mercilessly

"We were beaten as if we were footballs," Kamal's younger brother Nirmal, who was also interrogated but allowed to go after his brother's death, told NDTV.  "They said to me - either confess or we will kill your brother," he claims.

On Thursday morning, the 25-year-old  Kamal was found hanging in lock-up.

The incident prompted authorities to suspend all 15 policemen at the police outpost. One of the policemen, a constable, who had taken away Kamal for questioning, has been accused of murder. Some of the suspended  policemen are reported missing.

The incident takes place in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh when the Akhilesh Yadav Government is facing the heat over recent incidents of gang-rape and the atrocities on Dalits have almost become a national issue following a series of incidents in few other states.

Kamal's death triggered violent protests by a large group, including Valmiki's relatives, who clashed with the police and threw stones at them.

Reports said the policemen sent Kamal's body for post-mortem under a different name, raising suspicion. Police, however, claim that the name change was a mistake and it was unintentional.