ITANAGAR, 30 Sep: The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) has written to the deputy inspector general (prison) of the Arunachal Pradesh Police regarding a custodial death that occurred on 29 September in the central jail in Jully, near here.
Lawyers Ebo Mili, Sonam Tsomu and Chanya Bangsia, on behalf of the network, wrote to the jail’s authorities, based on a complaint by the family of Lutfur Husen Barbhuiya, who allegedly killed himself while in custody.
According to the lawyers, the family believes that he would not have taken his own life as he was “not a weak-hearted person.”
The HRLN said that Barbhuiya had been arrested on 23 September for possessing 39.92 grams of heroin.
The lawyers said also that postmortem of the body was not conducted.
They further said that they had “received complaints in regard to the torture of the prisoners in Jully jail,” and added that their application to visit the jail on 14 April this year, with regard to the torture of prisoners, was rejected on the ground of Covid-19 protocol.
Citing the Supreme Court’s direction regarding custodial deaths, the HRLN lawyers appealed to the state police to “implement means to bring down incidents of custodial death, and punish the responsible officials.”
