A 35-year-old man, detained for alleged illegal possession of drugs, passed away in the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)’s custody in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district, officials said on Friday (July 25, 2025).
According to the NCB, Mahipal Singh Rajput was detained from Unhel in Ujjain district in the intervening night of July 23 and 24 with 411 grams of MD drug, and was brought to Mandsaur on Thursday (July 24, 2025) morning.
R.K. Chaturvedi, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), NCB told The Hindu that Mr. Rajput fell ill after reaching Mandsaur and was immediately rushed to a hospital where he passed away. A judicial probe by the district court has been initiated in the matter, he added.
“He fell ill and started vomiting even before we could begin the proceedings or questioning him so we moved him to a hospital. Prima facie, the doctors are saying that he had infection in his stomach and lungs that caused vomiting and he accidentally swallowed it resulting in choking,” Mr. Chaturvedi said, adding that a panel of doctors will conduct the post-mortem on the deceased.
The deceased’s family questioned the police’s move of taking him to a private hospital instead of a government facility.
Mr. Chaturvedi, however, said, “We took him to the best possible option available nearby because the private hospital also had ventilator facility.”
He said that Mr. Rajput had been convicted for 12 years after he was arrested in 2009 for possession of 300 grams of smack.
Meanwhile, a tribal man was allegedly brutally assaulted inside Bhainsdehi police station in Betul district, after he was detained following a argument with some locals.
In a complaint given to Bhainsdehi sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Parasram Chilhate alleged that around 10.30 a.m. on July 24 his brother Sandeep Chilhate was “thrashed by some local liquor traders and taken to the police station where the cops also brutally beat him up”.
“He was only allowed to leave around 8 p.m. after giving ₹30,000 to the cops. He was partially unconscious when we brought him home,” Mr. Parasram said in the complaint.
Betul SP Nishchal Jhharia said that he received a complaint in the matter on Friday evening and has directed the local sub-divisional police officer (SDOP) to launch an investigation into it.
“We will verify all aspects of the case and investigate this. If anyone, including our department officers, are found involved in this, legal action will be taken against them,” he said, speaking to The Hindu.
Earlier this month, three police personnel were suspended in Chhatarpur district for “thrashing four tribal youths with belts and canes” and “torturing” them in custody over suspicious of theft.
Published – July 26, 2025 01:12 am IST
