Punjab Police custodial death: Hours after arrest, accused dies in Ludhiana

The key accused in the Rajoana Kalan gurdwara firing case, Raj Singh alias Raju, 42, died in police custody hours after his arrest by the Ludhiana Rural Police, prompting a magisterial inquiry into the circumstances leading to his death, officials said on Tuesday.

Raju died in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. A resident of Noorpur Machhiwara village in Ferozepur district, he was in custody at Sudhar police station when he reportedly “collapsed” and was rushed to the local Civil Hospital.

He was subsequently referred to Global Hospital, Ludhiana, where he died, police said. On Monday, Ludhiana Rural SSP Ankur Gupta had announced Raju's arrest in connection with the October 28 firing incident at Gurdwara Manji Sahib in Rajoana Kalan, where two masked men had opened fire towards the sewadar's room before fleeing.

Gupta had identified Raju as the main shooter, alleging that he had fired at the gurdwara to threaten and blackmail its head sewadar, Baldev Singh. Police said seven FIRs related to extortion and drug offences had previously been registered against Raju in Ferozepur, Faridkot and Jalandhar.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Raju's nephew, Navdeep Singh, said, "He was not unwell as claimed by the police. He was healthy when arrested. We don't know what they did to him during the night. Yes, he was booked in several cases, but that doesn't mean they will kill him.

They should have proceeded as per law," he said. Navdeep added that Raju was undergoing treatment for drug addiction at an Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centre and was taking prescribed medication. "They showed us his body without giving any explanation as to how he died," he alleged.

Speaking to The Indian Express, SP (Investigation) Rajan Sharma of Ludhiana Rural said Raju was already having multiple health issues, from kidney problems and diabetes to drug addiction. “His wife had confirmed that he was taking pills from the OOAT centre for drug addiction treatment.

He also consumed intoxicant capsules daily. He collapsed at the police station, was taken to the Civil Hospital and then to Global Hospital in Ludhiana, where he died," Sharma said. He added that a postmortem examination would be conducted in the presence of a magistrate.

"Prima facie, the allegations of torture seem baseless. His medical check-up was done after arrest and the autopsy will also be conducted in the presence of a magistrate," he said. SSP Gupta said Raju's blood pressure had dropped before he collapsed.

"Prima facie, there were no injury marks. However, if there was any torture, the autopsy report will reveal the facts and action will be taken accordingly," he said.