Man dies inside police station; family alleges murder; BJP demands CBI probe

Family members of the deceased and locals staged a protest and blocked a road in College Street outside the hospital

Kolkata: A 42-year-old man, who was summoned by the police in connection with a mobile theft, died inside the police station in north Kolkata on Wednesday evening, prompting family members to allege that he was beaten to death.

Representative photo (File)

The Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that the victim Ashok Shaw was a relative of a BJP worker and that the victim was tortured to death inside the police station. BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh, who visited the police station, demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

Family members of the victim alleged that Shaw received a call from the local police station in the afternoon saying that the second-hand mobile phone he had recently purchased for ₹200 was a stolen one. He was summoned to the Amherst Street police station.

“Soon after receiving the call he went to the police station to submit the mobile phone. His nephew’s wife, who is pregnant, went along with him. While Shaw went inside the police station, his nephew’s wife waited outside. His nephew reached the police station within 10 minutes. Upon entering the police station, they saw that Shaw was lying on the floor. Froth was coming out of his mouth and blood was oozing out from his nose, He was beaten to death,” Dinesh Shaw, a relative, told the media.

Rajni Shaw, wife of the victim’s nephew, went live on social media with a post in which the victim could be reportedly seen lying on the floor and policemen lifting him to take him to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the social media post. Doctors at the hospital declared him dead on arrival.

Soon afterwards, family members of the deceased and locals staged a protest and blocked a road in College Street outside the hospital. Later a protest was also held outside the police station, demanding justice.

A senior police officer said that a team of sleuths from the Kolkata Police’s detective department would scan through the CCTV footage of the police station and record the statements of all those who were present in the police station at that time.

“We have also requested the hospital authorities to set up a medical board for conducting the post mortem. It would be recorded on video,” said an officer.

BJP leader Ghosh demanded that the post mortem be done at a railway hospital or at the Command Hospital. The family too demanded a CBI probe.

The ruling Trinamool Congress dismissed the allegation, and said a probe will be conducted.

“This is not a BJP-ruled state where police will shoot a person. We have a transparent and unbiased administration. Investigation will be done. Some persons who can’t fight us politically are trying to create an anarchy,” Santanu Sen, TMC MP told the media.