A family in Murshidabad’s Durgapur has alleged that police torture led to the death of 49-year-old Muntaj Sheikh. Muntaj, a resident of Lochanpur gram panchayat in Islampur, was arrested during a police raid on Wednesday night and later died after being sent to Lalbagh sub-jail.
Muntaj fell ill on Saturday and was taken to the hospital, where he died. When the body was brought home after the autopsy on Sunday, the family accused the police of beating Muntaj.
Lalbagh Sub-Jail Superintendent Samaresh Dey said the inmate was addicted to drugs, which might have caused him to fall ill in the correctional facility. He was taken to Lalbagh sub-divisional hospital, where he died.
The victim’s family claimed, “The police beat him inhumanely. Muntaj died due to unnatural torture.”
Mahera Bibi, a relative of the deceased, said, “Police picked up my brother-in-law on Wednesday night. We were not told why he was being taken. That day, he was severely beaten at Hursi camp in Islampur. From there, he was taken to Islampur Police Station at night. He was killed by the police. We want justice.”
A district police official denied the allegations, stating that Muntaj was produced in court on Thursday after his arrest on Wednesday and was then in the correctional facility. “We can’t say what caused the death,” he said.
Meanwhile, the human rights organization APDR has expressed anger against the police over the unnatural death of the undertrial prisoner. Abdul Goni Mondal, secretary of the Domkal branch, stated, “The police are the protectors of the law, but they violate it repeatedly. The police are constantly torturing the common people. We, the human rights activists, are protesting. We will talk to the family of the deceased and provide them with full legal assistance. We demand punishment for the police personnel who tortured him. APDR will give a delegation to the District Superintendent of Police if necessary. We also demand a judicial inquiry into the incident.”
