On 24 August 2024, the Indigenous Rights Advocacy Centre (IRAC) filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) regarding the custodial death of Dharmendra Dangode, a 32-year-old tribal man, in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. The incident occurred on the night of 23 August 2024 at the Pandhana police station.
According to the police, Dharmendra was arrested on 23 August 2024 for allegedly possessing a stolen motorcycle and placed in lock-up. The police claimed that Dharmendra tore his blanket, fashioned a noose, and hung himself from a window rod, dying by suicide. However, Dharmendra’s wife has disputed the police’s version of events. She alleged that Dharmendra was arrested on 21 August 2024, tortured by the police for three days, and ultimately killed in custody. She further claims that the police staged his death as a suicide to cover up their actions and has demanded that an FIR be filed against the officers involved. The family further alleged that his body bore signs of many severe injuries and that the police refused to share details of the postmortem report, and CCTV footage from the police station.
In light of the grave allegations of custodial torture and extrajudicial killing, IRAC has called on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take immediate action, including the following:
- Direct the Madhya Pradesh State Government to initiate a judicial inquiry into the death of Dharmendra at the Pandhana police station, with a report to be submitted within four weeks.
- Instruct the Madhya Pradesh State Government to file an FIR for murder under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, and to prosecute the responsible police officials for the crime of murder.
- Direct the Madhya Pradesh State Government to provide adequate compensation to the next of kin of the deceased.