Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) Wednesday asked the police to submit a detailed report on the death of a 46-year-old man, who was arrested on the charge of theft, in police custody.
His wife had alleged that he was tortured inside Badagada police station in Bhubaneswar leading to his death, while the police claimed he was injured while trying to escape and died in a hospital later.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, the OHRC in a statement said, “In the present incident, prima facie, allegations of custodial violence cannot be ruled out.”
The OHRC asked the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionrate of Police to submit a detailed report on the matter with copies of the postmortem examination report and other related documents.
The report should also take into account the allegation of impersonation, the OHRC told the police.
There was confusion about the identity of the deceased as the police record said his name was Pradip Sahu, while his family claimed that it was Debendra Choudhury. His wife produced his Aadhar card to support her claim.
The vegetables and egg vendor was picked up by the police on Sunday for allegedly stealing a bicycle. His wife had said though he limped, he was healthy.
“My husband died due to torture in the police station. He had no involvement in any theft case,” she had alleged.
The police said that the man had suffered injuries while trying to escape from police custody. He was caught and taken to Badagada police station where he complained of feeling ill. He was taken to a hospital where he died during treatment.
PTI