Assam's custodial death crisis deepens: Man found dead in Jalukbari police station

Guwahati, Sept. 04: A man was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the police lock-up at Jalukbari police station on Wednesday, raising fresh concerns about custodial deaths in Assam.

The deceased, identified as Govind Rajbanshi, was discovered in the bathroom of the lock-up, police confirmed to The Assam Tribune.

Rajbanshi, a resident of Mangaldoi, was a habitual offender with a history of involvement in motorcycle thefts in and around Guwahati.

According to police sources, he was also a drug user, which may have contributed to his death.

“He had a history of such crimes and was known to use drugs. It’s possible that he died from a heart attack due to the unavailability of his regular dose in the lock-up, or he may have committed suicide. We are investigating the matter," said a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Notably, the incident comes just a day after a retired Assam Police sub-inspector was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Additional Sessions Judge (FTC) Court in Cachar for his involvement in a custodial death that occurred 17 years ago in Silchar's Katigorah.

The rising incidents of custodial deaths and extra-judicial killings in Assam have drawn significant scrutiny in recent times.

In August, the Hmar Women Association, representing the Hmar women community, submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling for the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged extra-judicial actions by the Assam Police linked to the deaths of three Hmar individuals on July 16.

Earlier, in May, the death of a 42-year-old man outside a police outpost in Lakhimpur ignited widespread protests among the local population.

In December 2021, Arif Jwadder, an Assam-born advocate based in Delhi, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the Assam Police. He alleged that numerous deaths and injuries from police shootings, occurring since the BJP-led government assumed power in May 2021, were staged as "fake encounters”.

The Court, however, dismissed the PIL, noting it could not provide a blanket directive on the matter after 18 hearings.