Custodial deaths
TURA: The Unified Peace Movement for Garo Hills (UPMGH) has stated that the Administration and police need to own up responsibility for any custodial deaths as all under-trials, guilty or not guilty, are under their supervision while in prison.
“It is their bounded responsibility to look after them as regards their safety and health as long as they are in judicial custody,” general secretary of the UPMGH, Fr Januarius S Sangma said, adding that failure to provide timely and effective medical attention in sickness and inability to prevent sudden or mysterious death in judicial custody while at the same time failing to inform on time about their sickness to the families could hardly be condoned and can justifiably spark off controversies.
Stating that the twin custodial deaths under mysterious circumstances in Tura and Chokpot within a short span of time was unfortunate, the UPMGH leader said that it seemed evident that there was no adequate and timely medical attention administered to them while also hinting that there were efforts to cover up their deaths.
“Lots of efforts seemed to have been made to cover up the real cause of their deaths which is highly lamentable and questionable,” he said.
Questioning how free and fair the magisterial inquiry would be the movement urged the government to comply with the demands of the various NGOs to conduct a Judicial Inquiry in order to get to the truth about the twin custodial deaths as well as to get to the bottom of the detention of 12 girls in Tura.
Meanwhile, the UPMGH also extended its heartfelt condolences to the families of the two victims.