AHMEDABAD: A disclosure in the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission’s 2024–25 report has flagged 93 custodial deaths across the state, with a heavy skew towards jail custody, triggering serious concerns over prison management, policing standards and accountability gaps.
In a revelation that raises uncomfortable questions about custodial safeguards, the “Gujarat State Human Rights Commission’s 19th annual administrative report” for 2024–25, tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday, lays bare a stark reality: 93 deaths occurred in custody across the state in 2024–25.
Breaking down the data further sharpens the concern, 79 deaths took place in jail custody, while 14 occurred in police custody, exposing a clear imbalance that puts the spotlight squarely on prison conditions even as policing practices remain under scrutiny.
As the numbers unfold district by district, a troubling pattern begins to emerge, with urban centres dominating the fatality chart, indicating systemic stress in high-density custodial infrastructure.
At the top sits Ahmedabad City, reporting a staggering 27 custodial deaths, including 24 in jail custody and three in police custody, making it the single largest contributor to the state’s total.
This is followed by Rajkot City, where 14 deaths were recorded (11 in jail custody and three in police custody), reinforcing concerns over custodial oversight in major cities.
Meanwhile, Surat City logged nine deaths (seven in jail custody and two in police custody), and Vadodara City reported 10 deaths, all within jail custody, an anomaly that raises specific questions about prison administration in the city.
In contrast, rural belts present a scattered yet significant picture. Ahmedabad Rural recorded two police custody deaths, while Rajkot Rural and Surat Rural reported one police custody death each, suggesting that custodial risks are not confined to urban setups alone.
Further down the list, districts like Junagadh (five total deaths), Kutch-Bhuj (three), and Surendranagar, Amreli, Bharuch, Sabarkantha and Navsari (two each) contribute to the cumulative toll, indicating that the issue is widespread rather than isolated.
Even districts with lower figures such as Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Panchmahal, Banaskantha, Kheda, Morbi, Gir Somnath and Chhota Udepur, each reporting one death, collectively add to the growing concern over custodial conditions across the state.
At the same time, a significant number of districts, including Gandhinagar, Dahod, Anand, Patan, Porbandar, Tapi, Aravalli, Botad, Mahisagar and Devbhumi Dwarka, among others, reported zero custodial deaths, offering a contrasting benchmark while also raising questions about disparities in custodial management standards.
Crucially, the report’s final tally reiterates the gravity of the situation for 2024–2025:
Jail custody deaths: 79
Police custody deaths: 14
Total custodial deaths: 93
Taken together, the data does more than just enumerate fatalities; it underscores systemic vulnerabilities.
The disproportionate share of jail deaths signals potential lapses in inmate care, monitoring or infrastructure, while police custody deaths, though fewer, continue to raise red flags over procedural safeguards.
As the report lands in the Assembly, the numbers are no longer just statistics; they form a compelling indictment that demands accountability, policy correction and urgent institutional reform.