A 50-year-old man called for questioning in a criminal case was found dead in the detention room of a police station in suburban Malwani, triggering protests by the locals and his relatives.
Police claimed the man, Hari Chavan, a suspect in the case related to house break-in, had committed suicide, but his family alleged he was tortured in custody.
He was brought for questioning at about 5 AM in the case registered recently and found hanging to a bar of the window inside a first floor room of Malwani Police Station at about 8 AM. Chavan used his shirt to hang himself, they said.
The family members of Chavan, a resident of Ambujwadi in Malwani, found him hanging when they visited him this morning, police said.
Chavan’s family members, relatives and locals staged a protest against the police, who they alleged, tortured him.
A probe has been ordered into the incident.
According to police, Chavan’s nephew Saifaan Kale (22) has been recently arrested in a house break-in case. Kale was found to be involved in two more criminal offences and had named his uncle Chavan as his accomplice.
“Chavan was brought to police station as a suspect for the purpose of interrogation,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Balsingh Rajput.
However, he was found hanging this morning and a doctor was immediately called for examination who declared him dead, the DCP added.
Meanwhile, Crime Branch has initiated an inquiry into the incident. As per protocol, any case of custodial death is investigated by an independent agency to ensure it’s free and fair.
