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Rape accused dies by suicide in police lock-up in East Champaran
A 55-year-old man, arrested for sexual assault, died by suicide in a police lock-up in East Champaran, prompting allegations of police negligence.
A 55-year-old man, arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a mentally-challenged person, died by suicide in a police lock-up in East Champaran district, police said on Friday.
Kalyanpur Station House Officer (SHO) Vineet Kumar said the man’s body was found hanging from the bars of the Kalyanpur police station lock-up on Friday morning. “He used a noose formed with his lungi to hang himself. The body has been sent for postmortem,” the SHO added.
The matter came to light after a relative of the deceased visited the police station. The deceased’s family alleged police negligence and accused authorities of keeping them in the dark about the incident.
Angered by the news, villagers gathered outside the police station. Reinforcements from Pipra and Chakia police stations were called to control the situation. The crowd dispersed only after Chakia Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Santosh Kumar and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Shivani Subham arrived and assured an inquiry.
“We have involved a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team for further investigation,” the SDPO said.
When contacted, SDM Shivani Subham said appropriate action would be taken based on the findings. “Prima facie, it appears to be a suicide case. The postmortem is being conducted under the supervision of an executive magistrate in accordance with district magistrate instructions,” she said.
