GUWAHATI: In a tragic incident, the death of a detainee in police custody at Khelmati Police Station in Lakhimpur has led to massive protests by residents.
As per reports, the victim was arrested by the police for allegedly stealing a mobile phone and later died under mysterious circumstances while in police custody.
Following the death, the family of the deceased and the residents demonstrated a massive protest against the incident.
The deceased has been identified as Arbash Ali (42) who resided in the South Chandmari locality in Lakhimpur.
Police said that Ali was arrested for allegedly buying a stolen mobile phone. Their report stated that he suddenly fell ill and collapsed at the station. Ali died shortly after.
The protesters have demanded a thorough investigation, claiming there was foul play involved. The family members have also accused the police of brutally assaulting Ali at the station.
Earlier in 2023, 11 cases of custodial deaths in police custody were recorded in Assam during 2022-23 as per the data provided by the National Human Rights Commission.
The information was provided in a statement from the NHRC showing the year-wise and state-wise number of cases registered as custodial deaths in police custody in the last five financial years.
According to the statement, the number of cases registered on custodial deaths in police custody in Assam during 2018-19 was 5, in 2019-20 it was 2, during 2020-21 the number was reduced to 1, before shooting up during 2021-22 to 9 and marking another increase in 2022-23 to 11.
The number of deaths in police custody in Assam was the highest in the North-East region. The numbers in other NE states were considerably lower. The number of cases of custodial death registered in Arunachal Pradesh, for instance, was 2 in 2018-19, 0 in 2019-20, 1 during 2020-21, and 0 in 2012-22, with a marked increase of 3 in 2022-23.
Similarly, the number of deaths in police custody in Manipur during 2018-19 was 3, during 2019-20 it was 2, in 2020-21 it was 0, during 2021-22 it was recorded as 1, and in 2022-23 it was 2.
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