Pilibhit: Uttar Pradesh State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Thursday issued a notice to the Pilibhit district magistrate, directing him to submit a detailed inquiry report on the death of a 30-year-old undertrial prisoner in judicial custody on or before Jan 7, 2027.
The action came in response to a complaint filed before the commission on Oct 22 by New Delhi-based human rights activist Krishna Rajput. He told TOI that he had initially read about the incident in The Times of India on Oct 22. The deceased, Abru, a resident of Baghauri village under Sitarganj police station in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, died around 9 pm on Oct 20, 2026, while receiving treatment at the Autonomous State Medical College (ASMC) hospital in Pilibhit. Abru had been lodged in Pilibhit district jail since Oct 9 in connection with an Arms Act case registered at Amaria police station.
He was arrested following a non-bailable warrant issued by the trial court after failing to appear during proceedings. The complainant alleged that the deceased’s brother had visited the jail prior to the death but was unable to meet him. Noting that the petition did not presume negligence or misconduct as an established fact, the complainant stressed that the death of a person in judicial custody warranted strict scrutiny. Rajput urged the commission to ensure an impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death, oversee the preservation of medical records, CCTV footage, and files, and take appropriate action if official negligence or human rights violations were established.