Chhattisgarh villager, accused of theft, found dead as family alleges custodial torture

Row sparked in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund district after 42-year-old villager found hanging; note recovered alleging custodial torture and extortion by police after being falsely implicated in theft case. Family corroborates allegations

The death of a 42-year-old villager, who was found hanging in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district on Sunday, has sparked a row. 

The deceased, a resident of the Lafin Kalan village, left a note behind alleging that he was ending his life because he was tortured and extorted by the police after having been falsely implicated in a theft case. The note had been recovered, the police said. The family members of the deceased individual have also corroborated the allegations of custodial torture while maintaining that the deceased was innocent. The “theft” in question was reported in a neighbouring village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Fingeshwar police station in Gariaband district on November 20. However, no FIR was registered in this regard at the time.  

The Gariaband police on Tuesday formed a committee under the district’s Additional Superintendent of Police to look into the matter while also sending a head constable on district lines. The Mahasamund Police, meanwhile, is also probing the incident. 

On November 20, Dashrath Sinha, a resident of Lachkera village reported that ₹15,000 was stolen from his residence, and named the deceased as an accused. The Fingeshwar police then reached the residence of the deceased individual, and asked him to come to the police station. It is alleged that when the deceased went to the Fingeshwar police station, along with his fellow villagers and the sarpanch, the police assaulted him and demanded ₹1 lakh from him. 

Savitri Nishad, the wife of the deceased, told local journalists that her husband was visibly upset after the episode. “He said that his honour was compromised. He said that they [the police] told him to pay a sum of ₹1 lakh, and assaulted him inside [the police station]. They trampled on his feet, and he was also hit with a belt,” she said. 

Gariaband Superintendent of Police, Amit Kamble, and Sub-Divisional Police Officer from Mahasamund, Manjulata Baz, acknowledged that the demand of money has been mentioned in the FIR but refused to comment on the amount. Mr. Kamble further asserted that the deceased had admitted to having stolen the money in presence of the village sarpanch. On the question of an FIR not having been registered at the time, Mr. Kamble said that a compromise was reached by both sides. 

“The deceased had admitted that he had committed theft, and was willing to return ₹15,000 to the complainant of the theft case who was reluctant to lodge an FIR because he wanted his money back instantly. He may have felt embarrassed given the circumstances,” Mr. Kamble said.