Death behind bars in Chhattisgarh

Sameer Thakur, 21, inactive hasn’t travel to presumption with the events starring up to the decease of his begetter Jeevan Thakur connected December 4, 2025. Jeevan, 49, a erstwhile janpad chairperson of Charama panchayat, died successful a authorities infirmary successful Raipur, conscionable 2 days aft helium was shifted to the Central Jail successful the State Capital from a jailhouse successful Kanker, astir 150 kilometres away. Jeevan had been lodged arsenic an undertrial, accused of forging documents for a wood lease. In 3 weeks, helium would person turned 50.

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His decease — 1 of the 66 custodial deaths successful Chhattisgarh’s prisons betwixt January 2025 and January 2026 — had since prompted thoroughfare protests crossed the Bastar area, wherever Kanker is located. The protesters said that the tribal leader, who was an bureau bearer of the Sarva Adivasi Samaj, an umbrella organisation for tribal communities successful the State, had been tortured.

The substance was hotly debated successful Chhattisgarh’s Legislative Assembly during the Budget session, with the authorities giving retired the figures for the deaths.

Sameer has faced galore blows implicit the past 5 months. He alleges that the Kanker jailhouse authorities denied his heavy diabetic begetter due aesculapian attraction since his apprehension connected October 12 past year. His older member Neeraj Thakur arsenic good arsenic their maternal uncle Sopsingh Thakur, had been arrested successful the aforesaid case. Neeraj, too, died successful January aft his wellness deteriorated portion retired connected bail. 

 “On December 1, my uncle (Sopsingh) told america that my father’s wellness had deteriorated to the grade that helium was incapable adjacent to locomotion to the gathering barrack. We requested the jailhouse authorities to code the lawsuit connected an urgent basis, but were told that helium was doing alright,” says Sameer.  

He adds that connected December 3, they learnt that Jeevan had been moved to Raipur for amended treatment. The adjacent time Sameer went to the Kanker jailhouse to inquire astir his father’s whereabouts. “There I was told by the jailhouse unit that my begetter had been moved to a authorities infirmary successful Raipur. I confronted them astir wherefore we were not told astir it officially earlier,” helium says, adding that his brother, who was successful the aforesaid jail, was besides not informed astir the shift. “We established interaction with Raipur’s Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital with the assistance of the Kanker MLA. Only past did we larn that helium had died that morning. For hours aft his death, determination was not adjacent an effort to communicate,” helium says.  

Neeraj aboriginal told the media that his father’s decease and the attraction helium himself had received successful situation had caused him tremendous stress. In the jailhouse transportation order, a transcript of which the household allegedly received lone aft Jeevan’s death, “the hospitalization doesn’t find a mention”. 

Assembly answers

On February 26, Question Hour successful Chhattisgarh’s Assembly began with the question of custodial deaths. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, from the Congress, asked however galore custodial deaths had occurred successful the cardinal and territory jails of the State betwixt January 2025 and January 31, 2026. He besides asked if a judicial enquiry had been completed successful each these cases arsenic per the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission.

In response, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds the location portfolio successful Chhattisgarh’s BJP government, told the Assembly that 66 prisoners had died successful custody successful that period. He added that successful accordance with the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission, judicial magistrate enquiry proceedings had been completed successful 18 cases, with 48 cases pending.

Baghel pointed retired that the reply had not included the names of the deceased, to which Sharma replied that helium would marque the database available. Baghel past brought up the circumstantial lawsuit of Jeevan, claiming that helium had been framed. Sharma said Jeevan had been transferred to Raipur Jail by tribunal bid owed to his “behaviour and different issues”. He powerfully refuted each allegations of Jeevan being framed and said that an probe study connected the lawsuit had been filed. “Based connected that report, there’s implicit grounds against the accused of forging documents, wood rights certificates, and more. The lawsuit was filed based connected that evidence,” helium told the Assembly. 

Baghel spoke to the concerns voiced by the Thakur household earlier and aft his death: “Since helium suffered from diabetes, helium wasn’t getting timely medication. There were galore complaints against the jailhouse superintendent, who denied him entree to aesculapian treatment, and refused to instrumentality him to the infirmary contempt the doctor’s advice. His information worsened.”

He went connected to gully the House’s attraction to the information that the tribal community, to which Thakur belongs, complained astir this, adjacent staging a roadworthy blockade crossed Bastar, and demanding an probe by a Legislative Assembly Committee. “Did your section behaviour an probe based connected the community’s demands? If an probe was conducted, what was found? Who was recovered guilty, and what enactment was taken? If not, why?” helium said. 

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Overfull jails

Another reply by the authorities connected the aforesaid time revealed that astatine slightest 33 of the prisoners who died during this year-long play were those who were shifted from 1 jailhouse to another.

The information offered successful the Assembly shows that successful 19 of the 33 cases, including that of Jeevan, the station mortem study of the decease oregon judicial magistrate enquiry study were not available. Of the remaining 14, reasons were varied, from cardio-respiratory nonaccomplishment and chronic kidney illness to septicaemia. In astir of these cases, the inmate was being shifted from a smaller municipality to a adjacent bigger metropolis specified arsenic Raipur oregon Bilaspur for amended treatment.  

During the debate, the Deputy Chief Minister further revealed the numbers of custodial deaths successful prisons successful the erstwhile fewer years were: 71 successful 2021, a emergence to 90 successful 2022, a driblet to 57 successful 2023, and 67 deaths successful 2024.

New Delhi-based Suhas Kumar Chakma, the Director of the Rights & Risks Analysis Group think-tank, says that portion the reasons down deaths successful India’s jails vary, it each boils down to overcrowding.  

“It is hard to generalise the deaths that hap successful prison. There could beryllium galore factors. It could beryllium aged age, denial of aesculapian facilities, improper attraction oregon torture, peculiarly connected radical arrested successful insurgency cases,” helium says. Chakma’s organisation conducts hazard investigation to forestall violations of quality rights and cardinal freedoms.

Degree Prasad Chouhan, a societal activistic based successful Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur, claims that contempt the enactment of merchandise committees by the government, the jails successful the State are overcrowded. “This indicates a implicit and insensitive cognition of a antiauthoritarian and law authorities towards quality rights successful prisons,” helium says. 

In February 2024, the Deputy Chief Minister had said successful the Assembly that implicit 18,000 inmates were lodged successful Chhattisgarh’s jails against a sanctioned capableness of 14,383: up to 126% of the existing capableness then. 

Biases and labels  

Another custodial decease during this play was of Sunil Mahanand, a 30-year-old who allegedly died by termination successful the Raipur Central Jail connected January 4, little than 2 months aft helium was lodged there. He had been arrested successful a molestation lawsuit registered nether the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

His decease was besides followed by protests by his family, who claimed that helium was guiltless and was being framed and mentally tortured portion successful prison. His brother, Kammo, says their parent has taken sick aft Sunil’s demise and is successful hospital. 

Protesters astatine the clip of Sunil’s decease had besides claimed that helium was being targeted by the authorities due to the fact that helium was from the Gada community, a backward caste. Chouhan calls for a person introspection of information to look astatine however galore radical connected the database of those who died successful jailhouse custody are from historically marginalised communities. He says specified deaths “must beryllium seen successful a social, historical, and governmental context”. He gives the illustration of labelling marginalized communities arsenic criminals.

shubhomoy.s@thehindu.co.in