JAIPUR: Rajasthan has recorded 20 deaths in police custody over the past two years, most of them attributed to deteriorating health conditions. According to official data, five people died of heart attacks, while one person committed suicide by jumping into a well. Investigations into the remaining 14 cases are still pending.
So far, no policeman has been found guilty in any of the custodial deaths. However, negligence on the part of sentries on duty has been acknowledged in some cases, leading to 17 CCA notices being issued against two constables.
The information came in response to a question raised in the Rajasthan Assembly by senior Congress MLA Rafiq Khan regarding custodial deaths between August 2023 and August 2025.
Among the most discussed incidents were the deaths of two bullion traders in August—one at Kankroli police station in Rajsamand district and another at Rishabhdev police station in Udaipur district. Both had been brought in for questioning on charges of buying stolen jewellery.
Activists point out that in many such cases, requests filed under the Right to Information (RTI) are met with evasive responses from police officials, citing faulty cameras, hard disks being full, lack of storage, no backup, or confidentiality concerns. This, they allege, prevents the truth from ever coming out of police lockups.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasised that CCTV cameras in police stations are not meant to breach privacy but to ensure fairness and transparency.
In 2018, the court directed all states to install functional CCTV systems to prevent human rights violations. Recently, the apex court took suo motu cognisance of non-functional cameras in police stations and directed that a PIL be filed on the matter.
Rafeek Khan, the Congress MLA who raised this issue, is hardly satisfied.
He asserted,"There is no genuine reason in the majority of the cases. Most of the deaths have happened due to police negligence and excessive torture. In the name of action, they have taken action only against only two constables."
He also questioned if only constables are in charge of police stations and remarked, "No action has been taken against any Dy SP, nor any SHO, nor has any IPS officer been held responsible. What kind of system is this? The responsibility has been put only on the constable, and the matter has been covered up. I will ask a supplementary question on this. Those who are responsible should be punished."
This sorry state exists in Rajasthan, although the state's top cop, DGP Rajeev Kumar Sharma, has repeatedly stressed in review meetings that there would be 'zero tolerance for custodial deaths' and all preventive measures must be enforced.