Family alleges torture as 70-yr-old held in 500 kg beef case dies in police custody

Hyderabad: A 70-year-old man died after being taken into police custody in Ahmedabad, leading to allegations of custodial torture and protests outside the hospital where he was undergoing treatment.

The deceased, identified as Zaheer Shaikh, was a resident of Juhapura in Ahmedabad. He died while receiving treatment at SVP Hospital after being arrested by the Vejalpur Police Station on May 18 in connection with a case involving the alleged possession of around 500 kilograms of beef, Siasat Daily reported.

Police had earlier registered an FIR on May 5 under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Animal Preservation Act after recovering approximately 520 kilograms of suspected cattle meat, along with a live calf, vehicles and equipment, from an open field in the Juhapura area. According to the police, Shaikh had fled during the raid and was later formally arrested on May 18.

Before his death, a video reportedly recorded by his son, Toufik Sheikh, surfaced online in which Zaheer allegedly claimed that he had been assaulted in custody. In the recording, he reportedly accused police personnel of beating him, pulling his beard, kicking him in his private parts and demanding money. He also allegedly named a constable identified as Akshay. Family members claimed that Zaheer repeated these allegations and named several officers while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Advocate Nauman Ghanchi, who is representing the family, alleged that Zaheer was subjected to custodial torture despite his poor health condition. He further claimed that police personnel forced him to consume a suspicious drink during interrogation.

Toufik Sheikh has reportedly submitted a written complaint to G. S. Malik seeking action against the officers allegedly involved.

However, Ahmedabad Police denied all allegations of torture and misconduct. Assistant Commissioner of Police A. B. Valand reportedly described the accusations as baseless and stated that Zaheer’s health deteriorated after he consumed medication brought by his wife to the police station on the night of his arrest. According to Valand, Shaikh was immediately shifted to the hospital and remained under intensive medical supervision.

Police also stated on social media that a preliminary forensic postmortem examination had not found any injury marks on the body. They said the inquest panchnama and postmortem examination were conducted with videography in the presence of a magistrate. Officials further noted that Shaikh had a history of diabetes and said the accidental death investigation would be carried out by a judicial magistrate under senior officers’ supervision.

The incident has drawn additional attention because videos had earlier circulated on social media allegedly showing police personnel publicly assaulting some accused persons linked to the same cattle slaughter case near Sonal Cinema Road in Vejalpur.

Following Shaikh’s death, protests reportedly broke out outside SVP Hospital, with demonstrators demanding accountability. Family members have called for an independent investigation, arguing that the circumstances surrounding his custody, hospitalisation and death raise serious concerns that should not be examined solely through a police-led inquiry.