tarn Taran: A 20-year-old woman, identified as Rajbir Kaur, died inside the washroom of the Bhikhiwind police station in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district on Monday after spending four days in police custody. According to law enforcement officials, the young woman allegedly took her own life using her headscarf after requesting permission to use the facility. Following the incident, judicial authorities ordered a magisterial inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death while in custody.
The detention stems from a recent domestic confrontation in Kalsian Kalan village, where a violent dispute escalated into stone-pelting between two neighboring groups. During the clash, a 70-year-old man suffered fatal head injuries after being struck by a brick. In response, local police registered a murder case against several family members involved in the altercation, including Rajbir Kaur, and subsequently taken into custody for questioning.
The family of the deceased woman has alleged foul play and raised serious concerns regarding administrative misconduct. Relatives claimed that police officials had prevented them from meeting her over the past four days and asserted that she would not have taken such an extreme step on her own. Demanding a thorough and impartial investigation, the aggrieved family urged higher authorities to ensure justice and hold accountable anyone found responsible for negligence or mistreatment.
Refuting all allegations of physical mistreatment, Bhikhiwind police station chief Harpreet Singh stated that officers had not subjected the suspect to any form of torture or coercion. Station officials maintained that the detainee had simply asked to use the washroom before the incident occurred. A magisterial inquiry conducted by Judicial Magistrate First Class Simranjit Singh has commenced to examine procedural compliance and establish the facts surrounding the custodial death.
