The Crime Branch will investigate the alleged suicide of a man while he was in police custody in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. Ansari’s death has caught media attention as suspicions of custodial death were raised soon after he was found dead in a toilet on the Fort police station premises on the night of August 16, Sunday.
A resident of Poonthura in coastal Thiruvananthapuram, Ansari was caught by the public after he allegedly stole a mobile phone from a resident of Kizhakkekotta on Sunday evening. The public then handed him over to the Fort Police Circle Inspector (CI) at 5.30 pm.
Multiple media reports have stated that the 38-year-old was made to sit in the child-friendly Janamaithri Kendram (people-friendly policing initiative) building, which is on the same premises as the police station. This was done to prevent crowding inside the lock-up and adhere to COVID-19 protocols. While at the station premises, he is reported to have requested to use the toilet, where he was found dead nearly four hours later.
Eye-witnesses have stated that two home guards of the Fort station were put in charge of Ansari at the Janamaitri Kendram. At the time, two persons known to Ansari were at the station to file a complaint in a separate case. They also gave a statement to the investigating officers that Ansari had not been beaten up or harassed before his death. According to their statements, the 38-year-old had asked for a cigarette before going to the restroom in the building.
At 9.15 pm, when Ansari had still not come out of the toilet, the home guards reportedly broke open the door to find him dead inside. He was declared dead at the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital on Sunday night.
Following Ansari’s death on August 16, the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner ordered the district Crime Branch to look into the possibility of custodial death. Preliminary findings of a post mortem and magisterial inquest conducted in the case have said that Ansari most likely died by suicide. This, as there were no marks, bruises or other signs of struggle on his body.
A team of forensic experts, including the doctor who performed the post-mortem, inspected the scene of the death on Monday to collect evidence. The magistrate and a team of investigating officers, too, inspected the building premises of the Fort Police station.
Ansari’s family member had raised suspicions over his mysterious death while in police custody. They called for a thorough inquiry into the case, but with no breakthrough, they asked the Crime Branch to take it up the probe.
On Monday, state Police Chief Loknath Behera issued an order, transferring the probe to the Crime Branch from the district crime branch as the investigating agency should not have any direct links to the station where the incident occurred.
Lapses from police
The investigating officials have found that the Fort police never recorded the fact that Ansari was in their custody. Ansari was brought in at 5.30 pm and found dead at 9.15 pm. But in all those hours, the Fort police, who had his custody, had not recorded this in the General Diary.
The police had also not registered an FIR (First Information Report) in the theft case. According to several reports, the officials were waiting for the man whose phone was reportedly stolen, to arrive at the station and file a complaint.
This lapse on the part of the Fort Police is likely to attract disciplinary action against the officers at the Fort PS.
The Crime Branch will primarily probe whether Ansari suffered custodial torture at the hands of the officers, although preliminary findings of the autopsy and inquest reports have stated otherwise, as there are no signs of assault or force on his body. Another line of investigation is to check the possibility of death by hanging (suicide) in this case.
Kerala has seen several shocking custodial deaths in the last few years, where allegations of third-degree torture and abuse have been reportedly inflicted on remand prisoners or accused persons in lock-ups. With the custodial torture and death of father-son duo Jayaraj and Bennix in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, in June 2020, the conversation around police brutality and torture has only grown louder.
On Monday, the State Human Rights Commission also ordered the Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner to submit a report on Ansari’s custodial death in the next three weeks.