Patna, Aug 23 (IANS) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) into the death of 19-year-old Roshan Yadav, who died while in judicial custody at Mandal Karagar, Rampatti, in Madhubani district.
In a post on X, Tejashwi Yadav alleged that Roshan was “brutally murdered by the police while in police custody” and said he had written to the Human Rights Commission seeking justice for the deceased and stringent action against officials found responsible.
“A letter was written to the Human Rights Commission demanding justice for the victim and stringent action against the guilty officials,” Tejashwi said.
“We will raise this issue on every platform to ensure justice,” he added, accusing the Bihar government and bureaucracy of failing to protect citizens.
According to the letter dated August 22, addressed to the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, Roshan Yadav, 19, was found dead on August 10 inside Mandal Karagar, Rampatti, where he had been in judicial custody since May 27.
The letter states that jail authorities reported the cause of death as hanging. However, Roshan’s family has disputed that account, citing what it described as multiple injury marks on his body. The family has also alleged that no written intimation regarding his arrest was provided to his next of kin.
Tejashwi’s letter said the Madhubani administration had indicated that a magisterial inquiry would be conducted in accordance with the Commission’s guidelines and a report would be submitted.
The RJD leader said the circumstances surrounding the death warranted independent oversight by the NHRC. He requested the Commission to take cognisance of the case and seek reports from the Director General of Police and Director General of Prisons, Bihar.
He also urged the Commission to verify compliance with its guidelines on custodial deaths, including the availability of CCTV footage from two different police stations covering the period from arrest until death, mandatory health examinations, intimation to the family and videography of the post-mortem.
The letter further sought directions for the post-mortem, inquest and magisterial inquiry reports to be submitted to the Commission within a fixed timeframe.
Tejashwi also requested that Roshan’s family be kept informed about the proceedings and be granted appropriate relief as deemed necessary by the Commission.
According to the letter, Roshan came from a low-income family headed by his widowed mother and including two sisters.
The case has drawn political attention in Bihar, with Tejashwi vowing to pursue the matter across platforms. In his post, he criticised the state government and alleged that administrative failures were allowing innocent citizens to be victimised.
–IANS
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