76 Deaths in Police Custody, 14 Deaths Due to Lathicharge: NCRB 2020 Report

20 cases of human rights violation by the police were registered in 2020, National Crime Records Bureau data shows.

20 cases of human rights violation – encounter killing, deaths in custody, illegal detention, torture, and extortion, among others – by the police were registered in 2020.

(Image: The Quint/Arnica Kala)

Twenty cases of human rights violation – encounter killing, deaths in custody, illegal detention, torture, and extortion, among others – by the police were registered in 2020, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report released on Tuesday, 14 September.

The number of human rights violation cases against the police has decreased by 59.18 percent from the 49 cases lodged in 2019.

76 Deaths Due to Police Custody, Highest Custodial Deaths in Gujarat: NCRB 2020 Report

76 deaths were reported to have occurred in police custody in the year 2020, as compared to 85 deaths in 2019, as per the NCRB report. A total decrease of 10.58 percent has been observed for the parameter.

Gujarat observed the maximum number of custodial deaths – 15 – of all the states and the Union territories of India.

Of the total number of persons who died in police custody in 2020,

• 31 persons died of suicide

• 34 died of illness or while receiving treatment in hospitals

• 2 died of injuries sustained prior to police custody

• 1 died of injuries sustained during custody

• 3 died while attempting to escape from custody

• 5 died due to other causes

Causes Behind Civilian Deaths in Police Custody in 2020

14 Civilians Killed in Lathicharge, 2 in Police Firing: NCRB Report

A total of 47 civilians were killed in a variety of police operations in 2020, as compared to 71 deaths observed for the same parameter in 2019. A drop of 30.98 percent can be seen.

Two Indian civilians, both belonging to Rajasthan, died during police firing in 2020 – a decrease of 83.33 percent from the 12 deaths reported due to police firing in 2019.

In addition, 14 deaths were observed due to lathicharge in 2020. As compared to this, five lathicharge-related civilian deaths were recorded for 2019. A 180 percent surge can been seen for this parameter.

NCRB Data on Deaths During Police Operations