Police action postmortem bares ‘custodial’ death in Gujarat

Youth had died of shock and brain haemorrhage due to head injuries

GN Bureau | August 28, 2015


#Gujarat   #patel   #agitation   #police  

The dark side of police action during Patel community agitation is coming out and it is going to hurt the Gujarat government. The Gujarat High Court on Friday ordered the state criminal investigation department (CID) to investigate the custodial death of 32-year-old Patel youth Shwetang Patel and sought the progress report by Monday.

The court gave this order after going through the second postmortem report that suggested the youth died of shock and brain haemorrhage due to head injuries.

On Thursday, Prabhaben Patel of Bapunagar area in Ahmedabad had filed a petition alleging that her son Shwetang died due to injuries inflicted by police on Tuesday night when violence broke out following the detention of Hardik Patel, leader of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) in Ahmedabad by the police.

He was taken away by the police and kept in the lock up where he complaint of headache. The police took him to Shardaben Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The death escalated tension in the Patel-dominated Bapunagar area.

On Thursday, Justice J B Pardiwala had directed a fresh autopsy to be performed by a panel of four doctors, including the head of department of forensic science. Justice Pardiwala in his order stated, “the doctors have performed the postmortem and report reveals internal and external injuries…cause of death is shock and haemorrhage due to head injuries,” justice Pardiwala noted in the order.

He said that the report makes it clear that it is a case which should be investigated properly. He ordered the Bapunagar police inspector to lodge an FIR and hand over it to the CID. He said that the victim’s mother has alleged that police officers are responsible for the death and this angle should be  investigated.

When the petitioner’s lawyer requested the court to give the case to an IPS officer for investigation justice Pardiwala said, “There are many IPS officers across the country, what we need today is an honest officer. The officer concerned should be honest and should only concerned with the case.”

Comments

 

Other News

How toll policies are redefining the highway journeys

With the phenomenal growth in National Highways, queues at toll plazas used to affect commuters. However, over the last decade, tolling has undergone a major technological transformation, bringing faster movement and significant ease for road users. Building on this progress, year 2025 saw further people-c

From vulnerabilities to empowerment: Building resilience for small and marginal farmers

India’s small and marginal farmers are at the centre of a paradox in agrarian economy. They are the backbone of the food economy, but they are the most vulnerable stakeholders within agricultural economy. Among the 126 million farmers in India today, nearly makes 86% operate on small and marginal hol

Concerns over Mumbai air pollution ahead of Marathon

Environmental organisation Awaaz Foundation has flagged serious concerns over deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and the potential health risks it poses to participants of the Tata Mumbai Marathon scheduled for January 18. It has urged civic and pollution control authorities to conduct advance air quality

From darkness to demand: India’s power sector at a policy crossroads

India’s progress in electricity access over the past two decades represents one of the most consequential public infrastructure transformations globally. Yet, as policymakers now confront issues of reliability, financial sustainability, and grid stability, experts argue that the next phase of reform

2026: How AI is transforming everyday life and work in India

Artificial Intelligence is driving a new wave of innovation that touches every part of daily life, from healthcare and farming to education, governance, and climate prediction. It helps doctors diagnose diseases faster, assists farmers in making data-driven decisions, improves learning outcomes for student

Charting the contours of India’s Africa outreach

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s state visit at the end of the year 2025 to Ethiopia represented a notable point in the development of India-Africa relations. At a time of escalated geopolitical contest, renewed commitment to South-South cooperation and Africa’s expanding strategic prominence, th


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter