Report on custodial death during Patel agitation given to HC

Ahmedabad: A magistrate on Friday submitted a report of inquiry into the custodial death of Swetang Patel, a 32-year-old man picked up by the police during the agitation of the Patel community for reservation, to the Gujarat High Court.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate M F Khatri submitted the report to Justice J B Pardiwala who forwarded it to the investigating officer.

As per the section 176 of Criminal Procedure Code, a judicial inquiry of custodial death is mandatory.

Swetang was allegedly killed in the police custody on August 26 after violence erupted in the city as a reaction to the detention of the leader of the agitation, Hardik Patel.

The High Court ordered CID probe in response to the petition filed by his mother Prabhaben Patel.

She had alleged that police took away her son on August 25 and beat him up at Bapunagar police station here which caused his death.

The second autopsy ordered by the HC showed that he died due to a severe head injury. Observing that prima facie it was a case of homicide (klling), the HC ordered a CID probe.