Kolkata, August 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The husband of a former Trinamool Congress councillor in North 24 Parganas district died in police custody, with his family alleging that he was assaulted inside the lock-up and demanding an impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The deceased was identified as Birju Keot, whose wife Jenny Sharma Keot is a former TMC councillor from Ward 23 of Kanchrapara Municipality.
Keot was arrested by personnel of Halisahar police station on various charges, including extortion, and was produced before a court on Friday. The court subsequently remanded him to five days of police custody.
According to the family, Jenny visited the police station around 10 p.m. on Friday and found her husband in good health. She said he had also undergone a medical examination at the police station, with the report allegedly showing no serious physical problems. She had also brought clothes for him.
The family alleged that Keot was assaulted after midnight, claiming that he was beaten while his hands and feet were tied.
A source at Halisahar police station, however, said Keot was found unwell inside the lock-up after midnight. He was taken to Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Kalyani, Nadia district, where doctors declared him dead.
The source said initial speculation was that Keot may have suffered a heart attack. However, the exact cause of death remains unclear, and it was also not immediately known whether there were any visible injury marks on his body. The cause of death is expected to be established through the autopsy report.
Jenny alleged that her husband was innocent and had been tortured and killed in custody. She also pointed out that the couple has two children, including a three-year-old, and demanded that those responsible be punished following an impartial probe.
The incident has also triggered a political reaction from the TMC. Party MP Abhishek Banerjee criticised the police administration over Keot’s death and alleged that his name was not mentioned in the FIR despite his being taken into custody.
In a post on X, Banerjee questioned the circumstances surrounding the arrest and death and alleged that reports of police excesses and political violence in the state were becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss.
There was no immediate response from the police to the allegations.
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