Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh): A 35-year-old man detained in a drug case died in the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mandsaur district, officials have said.
Mahipal Singh Rajput, a resident of Piplia Sheesh village under Bidalgaon police station area, was brought to Mandsaur city on Thursday after 411 grams of MD drug was allegedly recovered from him, said DSP R K Chaturvedi of the NCB.
Singh's health subsequently deteriorated, and he was admitted to a private hospital, Chaturvedi claimed, adding that he vomited and reportedly choked on it. He was given oxygen support and the necessary treatment, but could not be saved, the official added.
A judicial inquiry has been ordered, and a panel of doctors will conduct the post-mortem, he said. Singh had been arrested earlier in 2009 with 300 grams of smack and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2012, Chaturvedi said.
His uncle, Jujhar Singh, asked why Singh was taken to a private hospital instead of a government facility, and objected to the way he was taken into custody at night. "We are not satisfied. The way they brought him here raises questions," he said.
Following news of the death, a large crowd gathered outside the hospital, including many from Singh's village. Heavy police deployment was made near the hospital. In a social media post, Karni Sena president Jeewan Singh Sherpurkar demanded a high-level inquiry.
Former BJP MLA from Mandsaur, Yashpal Singh Sisodia, also posted on social media that Singh's death in custody was "extremely unfortunate and concerning".
