Udaipur, August 5 (Udaipur Kiran) – A jeweller died in police custody on Monday evening in Rishabhdev police station area of Udaipur district, allegedly after being beaten by police personnel. The incident has triggered widespread anger in the region, with the victim’s family and community members accusing the police of torture leading to his death. Protests erupted outside the community health centre and the police station late into the night.
To control the situation, Udaipur Superintendent of Police Yogesh Goyal suspended four policemen on Tuesday. Those suspended include ASI Sukhlal, Head Constable Dinesh, Constable Suryaprakash, and driver Mahendra Singh. The SP said an impartial inquiry has been ordered based on the family’s complaint, while allegations of corruption against the accused policemen will be investigated by Additional SP Anjana Sukhwal.
According to available information, Suresh Panchal (55), a resident of Bichhiwara in Dungarpur district, was brought to Rishabhdev police station on Monday, August 4, for questioning in a case related to the purchase of stolen goods. Later in the evening, police claimed his health deteriorated in custody and he was taken to the Rishabhdev Community Health Centre, where doctors declared him dead. However, sources allege he had died much earlier while in police custody.
The victim’s son, Himanshu Panchal, alleged that his father was first taken to Goverdhan Vilas police station in Udaipur, where he was threatened and mentally pressured, before being taken to Rishabhdev police station. He claimed that police harassment was the cause of his father’s death.
Following the incident, a large number of people from the Panchal community in Bichhiwara and nearby villages gathered in Rishabhdev, staging protests outside the police station and the hospital. To maintain law and order, police personnel from three stations, DSP Rajeev Rahar, Tehsildar Virendra Singh Rathore, and other officials were deployed at the spot. A post-mortem was conducted in the presence of a judicial magistrate, with the family ensuring photography and videography of the procedure.
Social Worker Rajendra Singh Sameeja’s Demands for Investigation
Social worker Rajendra Singh Sameeja has written to the Director General of Police, Rajasthan, demanding a thorough investigation into the custodial death of jeweller Suresh Kumar Panchal in Rishabhdev police station. His key demands are:
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Verify, through CCTV footage and station records (roznama), the exact duration the victim was kept in each police station.
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Confirm all seizures made in the case and verify the details of these seizures.
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Audit and verify the exact amount of cash taken from the victim’s family, preparing a list of money withdrawn from banks or borrowed from others.
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Conduct the post-mortem through a medical board at the district hospital.
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Immediately suspend the staff, including the SHOs, of all three police stations – Goverdhan Vilas, Dungarpur Sadar, and Rishabhdev – and register a murder case against them.
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Initiate a magistrate inquiry into the case.
Sameeja stated that these points are in line with the Supreme Court’s guidelines on custodial deaths and provisions in the Rajasthan Police Rules. He further noted that this is the fourth custodial death in Udaipur district in the past three years, and urged that IPS-ranked officers be appointed as district SPs to ensure better law and order and restore public trust in the police.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
