Bihar custodial death: Six police personnel suspended after 25-year-old dies

Six police personnel, including two sub-inspectors and four constables, have been suspended following the alleged custodial death of a 25-year-old man arrested in a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Bihar’s West Champaran district.

The deceased, identified as Dilshad Ansari, was a resident of Badhayi Tola in Auraiya, under the Banuchhapar police station area of Bettiah. His death has triggered demands from his family for a high-level inquiry, with relatives disputing the police account of how he sustained fatal injuries.

In a statement issued late Monday evening, Bettiah police confirmed that the six personnel had been suspended with immediate effect following the incident.

Six personnel suspended after death

The suspended personnel have been identified as sub-inspectors Ravi Shankar Kumar and Arun Kumar, and constables Saudagar Kumar Yadav, Raj Kumar Rishi, Kundan Kumar and Suman Kumar. All six were attached to Sahodra police station in West Champaran.

Ansari was an accused in NDPS Act case number 65/25, registered on August 8, 2025. He was arrested from the Banuchhapar police station area on Monday before being taken towards Sahodra police station, according to the police account.

Police say he jumped from moving vehicle

According to the official statement, Ansari jumped from the moving vehicle while being transported to Sahodra police station and sustained serious injuries.

“After his arrest from Banuchhapar, Dilshad was being taken to Sahodra police station when he jumped from the running vehicle and, as a result, suffered grievous injuries,” the statement said.

Police said he was first taken to the subdivisional hospital in Narkatiaganj and was subsequently referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah. Doctors there declared him brought dead.

Family disputes police version

Ansari’s family has rejected the police explanation and called for a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

His wife, Nagma Khatoon, alleged that a police team raided their house at around 2 am on Monday and took her husband into custody. According to her, the officers assured the family that he would be released by morning after questioning.

Khatoon said the family later received a call from someone at Banuchhapar police station asking them to reach GMCH in Bettiah on the pretext that Ansari had fallen ill. When they arrived at the hospital, she said, they found him dead.

Ansari’s father, Akhbar Ansari, also demanded a high-level inquiry and alleged that his son had died after being struck hard on the head by police personnel.

The suspension of the six personnel follows the death in custody, while the family’s allegations and the police account differ over how Ansari sustained the injuries that led to his death.