September 13, 2025

Rajasthan has faced a grim situation: 20 people died in police custody in the last two years! Most died because of health problems, while six took their own lives. One strange case involved a person who died after falling into a well while trying to escape. This alarming news came out during the State Assembly’s monsoon session, which ended on September 10, covering data from August 2023 to August 2025. The report was given after a question from Congress MLA and chief whip Rafiq Khan. It said 12 deaths were linked to health, six were suicides, and no police officer was found guilty in these incidents. But civil rights groups, especially the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), slammed this. PUCL-Rajasthan president Bhanwar Meghwanshi said, “Every custodial death reflects administrative negligence and the claims of suicide in custody are often suspect, appearing to mask torture, neglect, or inhuman treatment.” He pointed out that if people can even commit suicide in custody, it means poor supervision. And deaths blamed on health issues show failure to give quick medical care and kindness. “These deaths are not just attacks on human dignity,” Meghwanshi warned, “they break the Constitution, Supreme Court rules, and NHRC orders. If we do not fix this fast, such tragedies will keep happening and people will stop trusting the law.” PUCL demands that every death in custody must get a full judicial inquiry. They want strict legal and departmental action against guilty officers. Families of victims should get proper money and support. Also, PUCL asked for CCTV cameras in all custody centers with safe data storage. The Supreme Court recently took notice of media reports on these deaths and will check if police stations follow its earlier orders to install CCTV. The clock is ticking for Rajasthan to clean up its act and protect human rights behind bars!

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Tags: Rajasthan, Custodial deaths, Police custody, Pucl, Human rights, Judicial inquiry,