Ranchi – The Jharkhand High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of serious allegations of police brutality involving the custodial beating of a minor in Latehar district. The court has sought a detailed response from the state government in connection with the case, which also includes charges of custodial torture and bribery.
A division bench led by Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay took up the matter after it was initially filed as a criminal writ petition. Considering the gravity of the allegations, the court converted it into a suo motu case. The next hearing is scheduled for June 24.
The case relates to the suspicious death of 15-year-old Durgesh Mahato, a resident of Hami village in the Mahuadanr police station area of Latehar. His body was found in a field on April 1 near a fallen electric wire. While local residents initially claimed that he died due to electrocution, his mother, Manu Devi, later filed a police complaint alleging that her son had been assaulted by three to four individuals, resulting in his death.
She further stated that Savitri Devi, the mother of another minor, had previously threatened Durgesh, warning him to “reform” or face consequences. Following these allegations, police detained Savitri Devi’s minor son for questioning.
In her writ petition to the High Court, Savitri Devi alleged that her son was illegally detained and physically abused for two days in custody, based solely on suspicion. On the third day, when she went to the police station to request his release, the officer-in-charge, Badal Das, allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹2.5 lakh.
When she refused to pay, her son was allegedly beaten again in custody.
In light of these allegations, the High Court has directed the state government to submit a comprehensive report detailing the sequence of events and the actions taken so far.
With inputs from IANS