Man dies in police custody in Bihar's West Champaran, six cops suspended

An alleged custodial death of a 25-year-old man arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Bihar's West Champaran district has led to the suspension of six cops on Monday, police said.

The suspended police personnel include two sub-inspectors (SIs) and four constables.

The deceased has been identified as Dilshad Ansari, son of Akhbar Ansari, a resident of Badhayi Tola, Auraiya, which falls under the Banuchhapar police station area in Bettiah.

In an official statement issued late Monday evening, Bettiah police said six police personnel have been suspended with immediate effect following the incident that occurred in police custody.

The suspended officers have been identified as sub-inspector Ravi Shankar Kumar and Arun Kumar, as well as constables Saudagar Kumar Yadav, Raj Kumar Rishi, Kundan Kumar, and Suman Kumar.

The case

All six were attached to the Sahodra police station in West Champaran, where the 25-year-old man was an accused in the NDPS Act case number 65/25 lodged on August 8, 2025.

"After his arrest from Banuchhapar, Dilshad was being taken to Sahodra police station when he jumped from the running vehicle and, as a result, suffered grievous injuries. He was rushed to the subdivisional hospital at Narkatiaganj and later referred to GMCH at Bettiah, where he was declared brought dead by the doctors," said police in its statement.

Family's allegations

However, refusing to accept the “jump from running vehicle” explanation, the deceased's family members have demanded a high-level inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death.

"It was around 2am on Monday, a police team raided our house and took my husband into custody, assuring the family members that he would be free by morning after interrogation. But in the morning, a caller from Banuchhapar police station asked us to come to GMCH, saying that my husband had fallen sick. We found him lying dead in the hospital when we came here," the deceased's wife, Nagma Khatoon, said.

The deceased's father, Akhbar Ansari, demanded a high-level inquiry into the death of his son.

"My son died after he was hit hard on his head by police," he alleged.