The Calcutta High Court has ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the death of Gafur Mollah, an inmate at Baruipur prison. Mollah, who was arrested by the excise department of Bishnupur circle in South 24 Parganas district, died on September 2, 2023, while in custody. His death has raised suspicions, with allegations of multiple injury marks found on his body.
Despite a formal complaint lodged by the family, local police initially refused to register an FIR. Further discrepancies emerged in the post-mortem report regarding the cause of death, prompting Mollah’s son, Selim Mollah, to file a petition in the Calcutta High Court seeking justice.
When the case was presented the Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, he requested reports from the DIG (Correctional Services) and the Superintendent of the Diamond Harbour Excise District. The report from the DIG confirmed the presence of injuries on Gafur Mollah’s body, but no FIR had been registered in connection with his death.
In response, the Calcutta High Court has directed the formation of an SIT to thoroughly investigate the case. The team will be led by Diamond Harbour Superintendent of Police Rahul Goswami, IG Training Pranab Kumar, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Homicide Branch) Bireshwar Chattopadhyay.
Justice Ghosh also ordered the registration of an FIR under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for murder. The court has instructed the SIT to submit a progress report on the investigation by December 9.
