Eighty people have died in police custody or encounters in Assam since 2021, and magisterial inquiries were conducted in 78 of these cases, state minister Rupesh Goala informed the Assembly on Saturday.
Responding to a question from Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi on the last day of the winter session of the Assam Assembly, Goala said that 39 of them died in police custody, while 41 died in custody before they were produced before the court.
According to the minister, 31 deaths occurred in 2021, 18 in 2022, 13 in 2023, 10 in 2024, and eight deaths were recorded till November 19 this year.
A total of 223 suspected criminals sustained injuries in police encounters over the past four-and-a-half years. Police firing resulted in 67 injuries in 2021, 79 in 2022, 35 in 2023, 35 in 2024, and seven injuries so far this year.
Goala said that a total of 180 magisterial probes were conducted under Criminal Procedure Code and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
He added that the inquiries were conducted in accordance with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) guidelines on encounter deaths, which mandate submission of reports within 48 hours of any death during police action.
A high-level inquiry was conducted into the alleged encounter killing of three Hmar youths in Cachar district.
Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia also asked the government about prison capacity and conditions in Assam's jails.
In response, the minister said that Assam's prisons have a capacity of 11,372 inmates, and 11,241 inmates are currently lodged across different jails.
