The father of a gang-rape victim was crushed to death by a truck in front of policemen in Kanpur on Wednesday, a day after the alleged perpetrators had in the presence of cops threatened to kill members of the girl’s family.

The son of the deceased farmer alleged that policemen accompanying his father outside the community health centre where the 13-year-old girl is admitted pushed him in front of the truck. The police refused comment on the allegation.

Earlier in the morning, one of the rape accused, Deepu Yadav, had been arrested. He is the son of Devendra Yadav, a sub-inspector posted at Banda. Another accused, Deepu’s friend Raj Kumar alias Golu Yadav, is still at large.

Deepu and Raj had allegedly assaulted the brother of the girl, a resident of the Ghatampur area of Kanpur, when he was going to Sajeti police station on Tuesday morning to register a complaint.

“The policemen kept threatening me with dire consequences till 6pm on Tuesday and registered the case under pressure of the media. The accused and some of their family members, including Saurabh Yadav, the elder brother of Deepu, had also come to the police station and declared that they would kill me and my father,” the brother of the girl told reporters near Anupur Crossing, where the family organised a dharna against the alleged “murder of the father”.

“Although I was not there, an eyewitness told me that policemen accompanying my father outside the local community health centre on Wednesday morning pushed him in front of the truck,” the brother added.

Brijesh Srivastava, the superintendent of police of Kanpur Rural, said: “The father of the victim had gone out for tea when a truck hit him. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

“The truck driver has been taken into custody and the police are interrogating him. We will initiate action on the basis of the complaint of the family members. We have also arrested Deepu and are trying to nab the second accused.”