Custody death: HC orders state to file affidavit

The Calcutta High Court Monday directed the state government to file an affidavit explaining why the investigation into the case of Shakil Zafar’s death should not be handed over to the CBI.

Sakil had died in police custody in Dumdum central jail on March 14 this year,the day an MRI scan of his brain was also conducted. Justice Sanjib Banerjee had ordered the state to “treat the matter with all seriousness” as “it pertains to an investigation into a custodial death”.

Sajida Khatun,a relative of Shakil,filed a writ petition in the HC demanding proper investigation. The petition terms Shakil’s death a mystery for the family,as the cause of death has not been disclosed to them.

Following the petition,the court asked the state to file the forensic and the chemical examination report,which it failed to produce during the last hearing (on August 8) and also on Monday.