Kawardha. A judicial inquiry has been initiated into the mysterious death in police custody of a man arrested for the murder of a deputy sarpanch in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district, police officials said on Thursday.
Police officials said that following the incident, Kabirdham district Additional Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar (trainee IPS officer) has been suspended.
He said that Prashant Sahu (27), who was lodged in jail, was taken from the district jail to the hospital after his condition deteriorated on Wednesday, where doctors declared him dead. Sahu was among the 69 people who were arrested on Sunday for setting fire to the house of Deputy Sarpanch Raghunath Sahu in Loharidih village of Rengakhar police station area. Raghunath Sahu died in this incident.
Police officials said that initial investigations revealed that Raghunath Sahu was attacked due to suspicion that he had killed another villager Kachru Sahu. Kachru Sahu’s body was found hanging from a tree in Bijatola village under Balaghat district of neighbouring state Madhya Pradesh. They said that after the incident, the mob attacked Raghunath Sahu’s house and set it on fire. Three members of Raghunath Sahu’s family, including his wife, were rescued by the police in an injured condition and admitted to the hospital.
Police officials said that when the police reached the village after getting information about the arson incident, the mob attacked the police as well. Some policemen, including Kabirdham district Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallav, were also injured. After the incident, the police detained 40 residents of Loharidih village. Prashant Sahu was arrested along with other villagers on Sunday and was taken to the hospital after complaining of some health complications. He said that Sahu had a seizure disorder and was addicted to drinking alcohol.
Officials said, “Sahu was taken to the hospital again on Tuesday for examination and was discharged after treatment. His condition deteriorated the next day.” He said that the exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem report comes. A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incident. State Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also handles the Home Department, said that on the instructions of Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai, Additional Superintendent of Police of Kabirdham district Vikas Kumar has been suspended after the death of the undertrial prisoner.
Sharma told reporters on Wednesday night, “The death in jail is a matter of investigation. On Tuesday, the accused was taken to the hospital for examination, where his hand was X-rayed. According to the doctors, the report is normal. During the Panchnama on Wednesday, injury marks were found on the body of the deceased. Samples of his viscera have been sent for forensic examination and the report is awaited.”
He said, “Prima facie, the jail records have revealed that injury marks have been found on the bodies of some of the arrested persons. Also, the villagers have claimed that some of the arrested persons were beaten up on the instructions of senior officers. Action has been taken against the senior officers. ASP Vikas Kumar has been suspended on the instructions of the Chief Minister.” Sharma said, “The Chief Minister has also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of Prashant Sahu. Apart from this, his family members who have been arrested in the same murder case will also be allowed to attend his funeral.” The Deputy Chief Minister said that the matter is being investigated.
Meanwhile, the main opposition party Congress has formed its own team to investigate the custodial death incident. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday night, Congress MLA and convener of the party’s investigation team Daleshwar Sahu targeted the ruling BJP and said, “Injury marks have been seen on Prashant Sahu’s body, which clearly indicates that he was brutally beaten by the policemen. Prima facie it seems that he died due to police torture.”