A 16-year-old tribal boy, who was allegedly tortured by some police personnel attached to a police station in Bhiwandi town in Thane district last month, died at a hospital today.
The victim, identified as Babu Thackeray, was allegedly beaten up by the constables, attached to Nizampura police station on the night of June 20.
He attempted suicide at his house in Mithpada locality the next day fearing that he would be subject to torture again, and his condition deteriorated since then.
"Thackeray died at 4 pm while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bhiwandi," Vasai MLA Vivek Pandit said tonight.
According to a complaint by the teenager's elder brother Chandra Thackeray last month, Babu had had injuries all over his body and that he was mercilessly tortured in custody by policemen, after being accused of stealing 2 kg of gold.
The police let the boy go home only on the condition that he should report to the police station next morning at about 11 am for further probe, the FIR by his brother said.
However, the boy tried to hang himself, but neighbours saved his life. Thackeray was then admitted to Sainath Hospital at Bhiwandi in a critical condition.
Senior police inspector (crime Branch-III) B S Bhudwal had said on June 24 that two constables, identified as Dhiraj Khairmode (27) and Jalinder Bhojne (26), had allegedly thrashed Thackeray while accusing him of stealing gold.
The duo were booked under sections 330 rw 34 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort confession, or to compel restoration of property) and 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) of the IPC, he had said.
Meanwhile, Pandit alleged that the teenage boy died solely due to torture by police.
