Guwahati: An undertrial prisoner was found hanging inside the District Jail in Assam’s Udalguri district on Monday afternoon, prompting the All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) to demand an independent investigation into the incident.
The deceased was identified as Badsha Ali, a resident of Aminpara under Rowta Police Station in Udalguri district. According to jail officials, the incident came to light around 2:30 pm when personnel found him hanging inside the prison premises.
Udalguri Senior Superintendent of Police Padmanabh Baruah said the preliminary investigation suggested that Ali allegedly died by suicide using a gamocha. He added that several criminal cases were pending against the deceased.
“As per the established procedure, a magisterial inquiry will be conducted into the incident,” Baruah said, adding that police and jail authorities have started a probe to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.
The incident has drawn criticism from AAMSU, with the organisation questioning how such an incident could occur inside a prison facility.
Khurshed Alam, president of AAMSU’s Udalguri district committee, described the incident as a suspected custodial death and demanded a fair and transparent inquiry.
“A prison is considered a correctional facility and one of the most secure places for a person in judicial custody. The authorities must clarify how such an incident happened within the jail premises,” Alam said.
He alleged that similar incidents had occurred at the Udalguri District Jail in the past and urged authorities to conduct an impartial investigation to establish the facts.
Alam further said that the deceased’s family plans to approach the Assam Human Rights Commission seeking a high-level inquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, relatives of Badsha Ali raised concerns over the circumstances leading to his death, claiming that his brother had met him inside the jail nearly an hour before he was found dead. They questioned the sequence of events during that period and sought a detailed investigation.