Bhopal: Death in police station; 5 cops shifted, judicial inquiry ordered

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A man allegedly committed suicide in the lockup of Kamla Nagar police station here in early hours on Saturday following which five police personnel including police station incharge were shifted to police lines. A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the matter, according to police.

The victim was arrested in a molestation case earlier, said police.

Additional commissioner of police, Bhopal, Sachin Atulkar said that his widowed sister-in-law had filed a complaint on Thursday evening that he molested her and threatened her with dire consequences if she complained to police.

Kamla Nagar police registered a case under Sections 354, 323 and 506 of IPC and arrested the accused on Friday. He was kept in the lockup and was to be presented in the court on Saturday.

At about 5.30 am on Saturday, he made a rope with the blanket pieces and hanged himself from the ventilator bars. There is CCTV footage of the incident.

According to police, two cases were registered against the accused in 2014 and 2021. A case was registered against the accused under different sections of the IPC including 354 (assault on woman to outrage her modesty). He was released from jail a month back.

Assistant police commissioner Umesh Tiwari said Judicial Magistrate First Class Ravi Kumar had started probing the incident. The post-mortem was conducted in front of him.

Police station incharge Shahbaz Khan including four others were shifted to police lines on the ground of dereliction of duty. Sources informed that at least three police personnel would be suspended. The night duty officer, the head constable and the constable incharge of the CCTV monitoring cell may also face harsh action.