NHRC notice to Jharkhand government DGP over death of man in police custody

New Delhi, May 28 (PTI) The NHRC on Wednesday said it has issued notices to the Jharkhand government and the state's police chief over reports that a man died in police custody in Deoghar district earlier this month.
    The National Human Rights Commission in its statement also sought an explanation from the state's chief secretary and the director general of the police over the "lapse" of the district police in not intimating about the custodial death within 24 hours, according to the NHRC's guidelines.
     The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victim.
     The NHRC has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that a man died in police custody in Deoghar district, Jharkhand on May 21."
     Reportedly, the man was taken from his house to the Palajori Police Station for interrogation in connection with a cybercrime. The victim's family members have reportedly alleged that while he was in custody, he was physically tortured and which led to his death, the statement said.
    Therefore, it has issued notices to the chief secretary and the DGP of Jharkhand, seeking a report in six weeks. It is expected to include the inquest and post-mortem reports, along with the cause of death, as well as the magisterial enquiry report, it added.
    According to a media report carried on May 22, the victim's health allegedly deteriorated during interrogation by police. He was taken to the Deoghar Sadar Hospital, where the attending doctor declared him dead, it said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)