Agartala:
Tension gripped the New Capital Complex (NCC) police station in Agartala on Sunday after the custodial death of 58-year-old Kailash Roy, who was allegedly wrongfully arrested and physically assaulted by police to pressure his son, who was on the run, to surrender.
Roy, a resident of Goyalabasti opposite the new capital complex, reportedly died in Bishalgarh Central Jail on Sunday, around 11 days after he and his son were taken into custody for allegedly obstructing a court staff who came to serve summons in a civil land case. While police maintained that both were arrested for assaulting a court official, family members and local residents vehemently rejected the claim, asserting that Kailash Roy was completely innocent.
Large number of protesters, including the family members and their neighbors, gathered outside the NCC police station demanding justice, alleging that the elderly man was arrested without any formal charges and subjected to alleged brutal police assault while in custody.
They further alleged that police used Roy as a pawn to pressure his son-accused of tearing court summon papers-to surrender.
According to the family, the police initially summoned Roy for questioning but detained him along with his son. They claim that despite the absence of any direct charges against the father, he was kept in remand and later sent to judicial custody in a severely deteriorated health condition.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Subrata Barman, confirmed that Kailash Roy and his son had been arrested, interrogated in police remand and produced in court, following which they were sent to judicial custody.
“Today we received information that Roy died in jail. He was rushed to Bishalgarh Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” Barman stated.
He added that the body was sent to GB Pant Hospital for post-mortem.
On the cause of death, Barman said that preliminary reports suggested Roy had pre-existing health issues and suffered chest pain in jail. However, he maintained that a clear picture would emerge only after the post-mortem.
Addressing allegations of wrongful arrest and custodial torture, the SDPO said, “If the investigation finds that Kailash Roy was innocent and wrongfully arrested, it will certainly be considered an illegal act.”
