Surat custodial deaths: Lock-up check ordered

Hitarth Pandya / TNN / Apr 18, 2007, 22:36 IST

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Surat police commissioner has asked officials to furnish details of infrastructure in lock-ups in the city.

Surat custodial deaths: Lock-up check ordered

SURAT: Surat police commissioner has asked officials to furnish details of infrastructure in lock-ups in the city, following a custodial death in Pandesara police station on Monday.
Kunnu Swain, accused of bicycle theft, strangulate himself by tying his shirt to iron rods in the police lock-up.
The incident, however, has raised questions about guidelines for police lockups in different police stations.Police commissioner R M S Brar told TOI that the Pandesara incident has emerged as an eye-opener as far as infrastructure of lock-up is concerned.
“There are specific guidelines for police lock-ups and must be followed by the department to avoid any such incident.” He said a magisterial inquiry has been initiated in Pandesara case.

The death of Swain has also raised questions about the monitoring of accused kept in police custody. Notably, Swain was arrested by the police at around 5 pm on Monday, and he committed suicide hours after that. “The youth took the extreme step when policemen were away from their positions,” said Brar.
In another similar custodial death, one Meghraj Patil committed suicide outside the police lock-up in Kadodara police chowky of Palsana police station. Meghraj, according to police sources, was involved in an accidental death case which after investigation was converted into murder.
The police were hunting for Patil as he was an accomplice of the accused in the case. Owing to this, he was convinced by his friends and relatives to surrender.
However, Kadodara police did not show his arrest on record on Monday and he was asked to sit outside the police chowky. Patil ended his life between 12.30 pm and 1 am on Monday. It was not clear why Patil was asked to sit out.

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