Baghmara custodial death: Home Minister seeks report
SHILLONG: Two different police versions have emerged on the reported suicide of 19-year-old Senuman S Marak, who hanged self in a lock up at Baghmara police station.
While the district police chief Lakador Syiem told the media on Sunday that the accused arrested in connection with the theft of bike committed suicide in his cell, the website of the Meghalaya Police on Monday says that he committed suicide in the toilet of the police station.
The Home (Jails) Minister Roshan Warjri has already sought a report from DGP PJP Hanaman on the incident.
“I have sought a report from the DGP on the custodial death”, Warjri said.
It was on September 6 at around 9.45 pm that Marak of Rongtok village under Shallang police station in West Khasi Hills was apprehended by public at Jaksongram under Baghmara police station in South Garo Hills along with a motorcycle without number plate while he was moving in a suspicious manner and later handed over to Baghmara police station.
“The next day at around 5 am, the detenu was found dead as he hanged himself with a blanket strip inside the lock-up toilet at Baghmara police station”, the police website said.
This contradicts the claim of the police in Baghmara.
” Another inmate inside the cell who had been kept inside for the night in connection with a
domestic problem raised the alarm at around 5 AM after waking up to sounds of gasping and seeing the body hanging inside,” the district police chief Lakador Syiem had said on Sunday .
According to the police in Baghmara, the other inmate had told that the accused did not sleep the whole night and kept pacing up and down the cell. “He fell asleep towards early morning, but was woken up by sounds of someone gasping for air. By the time he raised the alarm it was too late,” the police chief had said on Sunday quoting the narration of the inmate in the cell.
It is yet to be known whether the victim was assaulted by the public before handing over to the police and also whether the victim was taken for medical examination.
