Jharkhand rape accused's ‘mysterious' death sparks custodial death allegations

Indian Express

5 days ago

A man arrested for sexual assault was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district last week, with his family now alleging he was killed in custody and demanding a 'thorough' probe.
The body of 30-year-old Aftab Ansari was found near the bank of Damodar river on July 26 — three days after he was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a tribal woman. According to the police, a right-wing outfit had 'handed over' the suspect to them on July 23 and that he had broken out of jail three days later.
The police eventually found him on the riverbank about 20 km from the district headquarters, Ramgarh SP Ajay Kumar said.
'On July 23, we arrested Aftab and took him to the hospital. On July 24, around 12:15 PM, he escaped from the police station. CCTV footage shows him fleeing, but no immediate search was carried out by the officers,' the officer said, adding that five people – two policemen and two home guards among them – had been suspended.
But the family, however, claims that outfit had assaulted Aftab at the garment shop he worked in on July 23 before handing him to the police. They have also alleged that the outfit was connected to his death.
Based on their complaint, the police have named 12 people from the outfit in the FIR filed on July 26. Of these, one person has been arrested.
'He was in custody, and later a video surfaced showing him 'escaping' the police station. But no one escapes a police station like that. We believe he was forced to flee as part of a cover-up,' his brother Altaf alleged. Meanwhile, Aftab's wife Saleha alleges a 'conspiracy between police and the outfit'.
But the police deny the allegations, admitting only to 'negligence'. 'We should have secured him properly in the lock-up. But he was seen walking out in a healthy condition. He fled from custody, and later died. That doesn't qualify as custodial death,' the SP said, adding that the post-mortem showed no injury marks.
The issue took a political turn after a tweet by BJP leader Babulal Marandi on July 24 alleging 'religious conversion' in the case.
'A man named Aftab Ansari raped her and also forced her to convert to Islam by making a video… This is a blot on the law-and-order situation under the Hemant government. @HemantSorenJMM Sir, why are criminals so emboldened during your rule?' he tweeted.
After the body was found, Health Minister Irfan Ansari alleged that the BJP leader's 'provocative tweets and statements created pressure on the police, poisoned the atmosphere, and ultimately led to Aftab's death'.
'This killing did not happen in police custody, it happened under the shadow of the BJP's ideology,' he said.
The minister added that he had informed the chief minister and had ordered the DGP to conduct a 'high-level investigation'. He said: 'Whoever is responsible for Aftab's death, whether wearing a uniform or saffron clothes, must face punishment. This fight is no longer just for justice; it is to protect humanity'.
In response to the minister's allegation, Marandi told The Indian Express that he had tweeted 'after receiving a complaint from the girl's family' and that tweet was to 'ensure action against the accused'.
He also claimed that if the administration had acted earlier, 'there would be no need for me to highlight such things publicly'. 'Posting on X is a way to bring attention. Everyone sees it, including the authorities. I didn't do this out of ideology, I did it because the state and administration were silent,' he said.
Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India.
Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions.
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