National Commission for Minorities Seeks Govt Report on Kasganj Custodial Death

While the police have claimed that the youth, Altaf, died by suicide while in custody, his family has suggested foul play on the part of the police.

(Image: The Quint)

Taking suo motu cognisance of the custodial death of a 21-year-old Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj district, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has sought a report within 15 days from the Director General of Police and the Chief Secretary on the action taken.

While the police have claimed that the youth, Altaf, died by suicide while in custody, his family has suggested foul play on the part of the police.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police, Rohan Botre, has suspended a total of five police personnel, including Kasganj station house officer, two sub-inspectors, a head officer, and a constable, on the charges of negligence.

NCM chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura said, “We have asked for a report from both the Chief Secretary as well as the DGP and have told them to respond within 15 days on the custody death”, Indian Express quoted him as saying.

What Had Happened?

The police had allegedly taken the youth, Altaf, accused of running away with a woman, to the Sadar police station for questioning on Monday, 8 November.

While Altaf’s family has alleged that he was hanged by the police, while in lock-up, the police have called it a case of suicide.

Superintendent of Police Rohan Botre has narrated the account of the incident as follows:

"Altaf, son of Chand Miya, was brought on the charge of running away with a girl. When the police were interrogating him, he asked the policeman to go to the bathroom. The police officer sent him to the bathroom inside the lock-up, and after a while, when he did not come out, a worker went to check. He had tightened the hood of his jacket around his throat, by tying it to a pipe."

However, several questions have risen on the contentious circumstances surrounding the incident.

For instance, the pipe from which the police claim that Altaf, a five foot man, had tied himself using the drawstrings of his jacket, is approximately 2 feet long.

Further, the pipe had reportedly come off from the wall, and had allegedly been fixed to its original position again.

Meanwhile, Altaf’s mother Fatima has maintained that it was the police who killed her son.

The custodial death has also been widely criticized by the opposition. Reacting to the incident, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had earlier asked in a tweet in Hindi, “Is there any thing called human rights left in Uttar Pradesh?”

Click here to read more about the questions surrounding the custodial death.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)