Kasganj Custodial Death: 3 Months On, Allahabad HC Orders Second Autopsy

The Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered that the body of a 22-year-old man, who died in police custody in Kasganj district in Uttar Pradesh, be exhumed and send for a second post-mortem at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

Altaf, a labourer, was called for questioning at the Kotwali Police Station after he was accused of kidnapping a woman. Police had claimed that Altaf hanged himself from a water pipe inside the toilet of the police station — around three feet from the ground — on November 9, 2021. The direction was passed by a two-judge bench comprising Justices Anjani Kumar Mishra and Deepak Verma hearing a petition filed by Altaf's father, Chand Miyan.

The court observed that the petitioner was not satisfied with the post-mortem conducted earlier and has insisted that a fresh autopsy be conducted outside Uttar Pradesh because of the alleged involvement of the state police. The body shall be exhumed in the presence of senior superintendent of police/superintendent of police, Kasganj, the court said.