Tension prevailed at Kalwari village in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district after a man died in police custody early on Thursday (February 6, 2025). While angry locals attacked the police station claiming the youth died due to custodial torture, the police said he committed suicide.
Briefing the media, Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sushil Kumar said Shivam Jha, 35, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of two-wheeler theft along with two two of his friends. “Based on CCTV footage, prima facie it appears that at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jha ended his life by hanging. Investigation found negligence on the part of the OD [On-Duty] officers, including the guard, constable and SHO [Station House Officer]. All three were suspended.”
He further said, “Being a custodial death, we are following guidelines of the Supreme Court and National Human Rights Commission [NHRC]. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory [FSL] has been called and the entire process would be videographed. The Executive Magistrate will conduct the inquest and I have also written a letter to the District Magistrate to hold his post-mortem under the supervision of three doctors and the procedure will be videographed. We have also written to the District Judge for judicial inquiry.”
However, family members of the deceased alleged that the police demanded money to release him and when they couldn’t pay them, he was “beaten up mercilessly”, after which he died. As news spread, a large number of people from Kalwari and nearby villages reached the police station and vandalised it.
The Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal slammed the Nitish Kumar government over the incident and said police atrocities were increasing with each passing day.
“The police of Nitish Kumar have crossed all limits of brutality! The BJP-Nitish government has crossed all limits of shamelessness and hypocrisy. The man died under suspicious circumstances and the family alleges the police murdered him,” the RJD posted on X.
There was heavy police deployment in the village and many senior officials were camping there.
JD(U) leader shot dead
In another incident, a Janata Dal (United) leader was shot dead by armed men near his house in Gaya district of Bihar. The police arrested three persons in connection with the murder. Mahesh Mishra, a JD(U) block secretary, was shot dead in Belganj on Wednesday night. Initial investigation by the police revealed that property dispute could have led to the murder.
Published - February 06, 2025 07:57 pm IST