Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh police have suspended four of its personnel of the Pandhana town station in Khandwa district after a tribal man, arrested for alleged bike theft, died by suicide in custody on Friday night, officials said.
(Representative Photo)
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“The 32-year-old man was arrested for bike theft by Pandhana police of Khandwa on Friday. He was in the lock-up when he tore his blanket, made a noose, and hung himself from the rod of a window,” said Siddharth Bahuguna, deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Khandwa.
Police said that the incident took place late on Friday night, following which he was taken to the hospital, where the doctors declared him dead.
Pandhana town inspector Vikas Khinchi, sub-inspector Himal Damor, and constables Narayan and Anil have been suspended, and a judicial inquiry has been ordered in the matter, Bahuguna said.
Police said that during the interrogation, the accused confessed to stealing 18 bikes, and three stolen bikes were also recovered from him.
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The family members of the deceased have alleged that he was tortured in custody to confess to the alleged crimes and later killed by the police.
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The family members of the deceased have alleged that he was tortured in custody to confess to the alleged crimes and later killed by the police.
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“My husband was taken by police on August 21. He was tortured for three days. He was killed in police custody and later hanged to pass it off as a suicide. We want a first information report (FIR) against police personnel,” said the wife of the deceased.
Police said that force was deployed outside the hospital for security after a large number of people and tribal activists gathered outside to stage a protest.
Jai Tantya Bhil Tribal Youth Organisation has demanded financial assistance of Rs.1 crore to the family of the deceased and a fair probe into the matter.
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.
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