AHMEDABAD: A 27-year-old man allegedly died in police custody on Monday after he was arrested along with seven others during a crackdown on public drinking in Ahmedabad.
Darshan Chauhan collapsed and died while he was being taken to Asarwa civil hospital for a medical check-up, police said. All the eight people arrested were allegedly under the influence of alcohol.
While Chauhan’s family initially admitted before police that he had a seizure disorder, they later denied this and claimed before the media that he was a habitual drinker. They raised suspicions over the circumstances of his death, prompting the police to initiate an investigation into the incident.
“Eight people were apprehended in a late-night combing operation in Gomtipur. At 3:30 am, all detainees were taken to the civil hospital in an intoxicated state. Tragically, 27-year-old Darshan Chauhan collapsed and died before his medical examination,” RD Ojha, ACP of Gomtipur, said, adding that the cause of death awaits postmortem results.
The family refuted the police version. “My brother had no illness, he was only addicted to alcohol,” said Darshan’s sister Bharati Chauhan.
“My son went out at night, saying he would be back soon. Around 11 pm, we got a call saying the police had caught him. By morning, he had been taken to the civil hospital in poor health. When we reached there, we learned he had died,” said Darshan’s mother Jashodaben.
According to the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission’s 2022-23 report, Rajkot city recorded the highest number of police custody deaths at three.
Police initiate probe after family raises doubts
While Chauhan’s family initially admitted before police that he had a seizure disorder, they later denied this and claimed before the media that he was a habitual drinker. They raised suspicions over the circumstances of his death, prompting the police to initiate an investigation into the incident.