Hyderabad: A 70-year-old man died after being taken into police custody in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, triggering serious allegations of custodial torture and sparking protests outside the hospital where he was being treated.
Zaheer Shaikh, a resident of Juhapura in Ahmedabad, died while undergoing treatment at SVP Hospital. He had been arrested by the Vejalpur Police Station on May 18, in connection with a case involving the alleged possession of approximately 500 kilograms of beef. A first information report had been filed on May 5 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 325 and the Animal Preservation Act, after police recovered around 520 kilograms of suspected cattle meat from an open field in the Juhapura area, along with a live calf, vehicles, and equipment.
According to police, Shaikh had initially fled the scene during the May 5 raid and was formally arrested on May 18.
According to The Observer Post, before his death, a video surfaced online that was reportedly recorded by his son, Toufik Sheikh, in which Zaheer alleged that he was assaulted in custody. He claimed that officers beat him, pulled his beard, kicked him in his private parts, and demanded money. He specifically named a constable identified as Akshay in the recording. Family members have stated that Zaheer also named several police personnel while he was at SVP Hospital before he died.
Advocate Nauman Ghanchi, who has taken up the family’s case, alleged that Zaheer was subjected to custodial torture despite being in poor health. The advocate further alleged that police personnel forced him to consume a suspicious drink during questioning.
Toufik Sheikh has reportedly submitted a written complaint to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik demanding action against the officers allegedly involved.
Ahmedabad Police have strongly rejected all allegations of torture or misconduct. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police AB Valand, who claimed that the allegations were completely baseless, Zaheer’s health deteriorated after he consumed medication that his wife had brought to the police station during a visit on the night of his arrest. Valand said Zaheer was immediately rushed to the hospital after his condition worsened and that he remained under continuous medical supervision in the intensive care unit.
In a statement on social media, the police stated that a preliminary forensic postmortem examination found no injury marks on the body. The inquest panchnama and postmortem were conducted with videography in the presence of a magistrate. Police also noted that Zaheer had a history of diabetes and said the investigation into the accidental death would be conducted by a judicial magistrate under the supervision of senior officers.
The case has drawn attention not only because of the custodial death allegations, but also because of earlier videos that circulated widely on social media, purportedly showing police personnel publicly beating some of the accused from the same cattle slaughter case near Sonal Cinema Road in Vejalpur.
Tension was reported outside SVP Hospital following Shaikh’s death, with protesters gathering to demand accountability. Family members are calling for an independent investigation, saying the circumstances of his custody, hospitalisation, and death raise serious concerns that cannot be resolved by a police-led inquiry alone.
