That one was about a member of Maharashtra's Phase Pardhi tribe, a 35 year old man called Pinya Hari Kale. He was born a Pardhi, another tribe the British once designated as criminal. That made him an automatic suspect in a crime that had been committed in the district. That led three constables and a sub-inspector to thrash him until he died early the next morning. Pinya Kale left a young widow, Chandrasena, and five children.
People die in police custody all the time.
These are the numbers we officially admit to. In 1981, police in Bhagalpur, Bihar, thrust needles into the eyes of several prisoners, blinding them permanently. In January 1997, police in Rajkot, Gujarat, rubbed some kind of paste into the eyes of seven undertrials who were out on bail. Then there are the children. He was suspected of having committed a robbery a week earlier.