Social Justice minister seeks CBI probe into custodial death of Dalit youth
New Delhi: Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot has demanded a CBI probe into the death of a Dalit man in police custody in Madhya Pradesh last month.
The man had allegedly died due to torture by police after being arrested for theft in Indore. In a letter to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, the Union Minister stated that it had come to his notice that 22-year-old Sanju Tipaniya was brutally tortured by the Gandhi Nagar police, despite claiming innocence.
"The police have crossed all limits of brutality. They plucked out his nails with pliers, hit his legs with a hammer and gave him electric shocks following which he fainted," the minister said. "They poured water on him to bring him to his senses and when he gained consciousness, he was beaten up again... He was not even given water to drink. He battled for his life for three hours," Gehlot said while describing the torture meted out to him.
He alleged that the young man's mother was also called to the police station and thrashed by the police leading to a fracture in her hand and leg. Even his brother was beaten up in front of villagers and he sustained injuries, Gehlot said, adding that it was important to ensure justice for the victim's family.
"I view of the seriousness of the issue, I hope you will order a CBI inquiry into it," he wrote. Family members of the youth had alleged that he died due to torture by police personnel at the Gandhi Nagar police station.
Superintendent of Police (West) Suraj Verma said Tipaniya was taken to a nearby hospital, from where he was shifted to the state-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital, but could not be saved. He said the Gandhi Nagar police station in-charge, Neeta Deyarwal, and four constables had been suspended.
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No 'bacterial infection' found in bodies of 4 Mumbai family members who died after eating watermelon
Mumbai (PTI): The initial report submitted by the microbiology department of a Mumbai-based state-run hospital has said no "bacterial infection" was detected in the bodies of four family members, who died after consuming watermelon recently, officials said on Wednesday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am (on April 26), hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
After the incident, Mumbai police, forensic experts and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials visited the house and had collected samples of every food item that constituted the family's last meal, including 'chicken pulav', watermelon, water, and other foodstuffs, and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.
After the post-mortem of the deceased, their viscera was preserved for chemical analysis.
As the probe is underway, the microbiology department of the state-run J J Hospital has submitted its initial report to the police.
"As per the report, no bacterial infection has been detected so far in the bodies of the victims. No bacteria was found in their blood," the official said.
The exact cause of the death will be known once the forensic science lab submits its report, he said.
"The report will also clarify whether any food items consumed by the family members during the day contained anything poisonous," the official said.
