Man detained under POCSO Act dies by suicide in Rajasthan police station

The deceased’s brother said that the 24-year-old had eloped with a minor on July 8, but returned and reached police station with her on the same day

Bharatpur: A 24-year-old man, who was detained under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, died by suicide at a Bharatpur police station in Rajasthan on Friday.

The body will be handed over to family members after the postmortem, a police officer said. (Representative photo)

The deceased, a resident of Tontpur village, was detained by the Udhyog Nagar police on Wednesday based on a complaint registered against him for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old girl, additional superintendent of police Satish Yadav said.

Yadav said that he was taken to the police station for interrogation, but was later found hanging inside the lock-up.

“He tore the blanket and hanged himself with it. A magistrate inquiry probe will be started for the incident,” Yadav added.

The deceased’s brother said that the 24-year-old had eloped with a minor girl on July 8, but had returned and reached the police station with her on the same day. “The police allegedly forced him to sit inside the police station without showing him an arrest warrant. If he was indeed arrested, he should have been presented before a magistrate within 24 hours, as required by law,” he added.

“Police had illegally forced him to stay in the police station for three days. Two cops reached the house to inform us about the incident,” he said, alleging the police had “killed him and hung his body by the hook” in the lock-up.

The body will be handed over to family members after the postmortem, a police officer said.

Family members of the deceased had staged a protest and blocked roads in front of the police station. They withdrew their protest after being convinced by the police officers.