WBHRC directs IG to probe Abhijit's death in custody

West Bengal Human Rights Commission today took a suo motu cognisance of the custodial death of undertrial Abhijit Patra and directed the IG, Correctional Services, to inquire into it and submit a report with specific comment within two years.
The WBHRC Registrar Rabindra Nath Samanta told PTI that the directive has been issued by a WBHRC bench comprising the Commission Chairman Justice A K Ganguly and member S N Roy.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha has also been directed to conduct a separate inquiry by an officer not below the rank of the additional commissioner of police and submit before WBHRC a detailed report about the 'highhandedness of police' on the residents of Malipara under Entally police station area with specific comments of the city police commissioner within two weeks, he said.

Abhijit, an undertrial in a criminal case, fell ill on November 2 at Presidency Correctional Home and was admitted to jail hospital for treatment. On November 4 he was referred to the state-run SSKM Hospital but was transferred to S N Pandit Hospital as there was no bed.
But instead of admitting him at the S N Pandit Hospital, Abhijit was brought back to the correctional home where he died yesterday, Samanta said quoting reports.
However, the inmates of the jail and Abhijit's family members have alleged that police had beaten him yesterday at the insistence of a leader of the ruling party.

This led to outbursts at Malipara and in order to tackle the situation police resorted to lathicharge. Abhijit's father was assaulted during the incident.