“We didn’t even get to see his body,” said Subramani, as he stood along with a group comprising relatives and community members who gathered outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) in Bengaluru, to demand justice for Vinod, a 23-year-old man who died in police custody on January 5. The family has also alleged that the police stopped them from seeing Vinod’s body and took it away for burial without their consent.
Vinod was a resident of Jolly Mohalla in KR Market and lived with his family. According to witnesses, he was taken into custody by Bengaluru’s Cottonpet police at around 12.30 pm on Wednesday, though the police claim he was not taken into custody until 3 pm. The police said that he was arrested in connection with a 2017 case by the Cottonpet police, along with four others, for an attempt to commit dacoity.
On the afternoon of January 5, the police came to Jolly Mohalla asking for Vinod’s mother. They told her that Vinod had suffered a heart attack while in custody and was in a critical condition. But when the family went to the hospital to see him, they were told that Vinod was dead. They were not allowed to see his body. Vinod’s mother was separated from others and allegedly not allowed to meet other family members.
Vinod’s family members have been left heartbroken and distressed by his sudden death. Speaking to TNM, Vinod’s brother Subramani expressed his grief and disbelief at the events that had unfolded. “They (police) initially told us that he had suffered a heart attack, and fell and hit his head while in custody, and now they are saying that he was found unconscious in the cell.”
According to Subramani, a watchman at the mortuary told the family that there was blood on the back of Vinod’s head. In addition, Vinod’s family has alleged that they were not given any information about the cause of his death and were not allowed to see his body. According to Subramani, the family was waiting at the hospital for hours but was not given any information by the doctors. The family also alleged that Vinod's body was taken away for burial without their knowledge or consent. “We were waiting right there when they took my brother’s body in the ambulance. They tried justifying their actions by saying the burial was in the presence of my mother,” he said.
Subramani also alleged that the police did not allow him to give a statement to the investigating magistrate and falsely claimed that he was inebriated, despite a negative blood alcohol test. “The police didn’t take my statements alleging I was drunk, how could they give my brother’s body to my mother who’s not sound in mind? Why didn’t they let us do his last rites? If the police didn’t have anything to hide, why didn’t they let us see my brother?” Subramani asked. Vinod’s family has raised several concerns about his death, including the discrepancy in the time of his arrest and the fact that his brother was not allowed to give a statement to the investigating magistrate.
Slum Mahila Sanghatane, a local women’s organisation, has filed a complaint with the Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes requesting intervention. They also wrote to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Laxman B Nimbargi, calling for an investigation into the allegations and seeking security and protection for the residents of Jolly Mohalla. The DCP said that they had registered a case of custodial death. “While in custody, he slept after eating but did not wake up when the station house officer tried to wake him up at 3.30 am during regular checks. Vinod was then taken to Victoria Hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead. We have registered a case of custodial death and will hand over the case to CID,” he said.