Chhattisgarh tribal leader's demise adds to 66 inmate death in 13 months; Congress demands probe

Opposition Congress MLAs raised slogans and staged a walkout from the legislative assembly on the matter.

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly witnessed bedlam on Thursday after the government disclosed that 66 inmates died in the state's jails over the past 13 months, with the Congress demanding a House committee probe into the death of a tribal leader in judicial custody.

Opposition Congress MLAs raised slogans and staged a walkout from the House on the matter.

Raising the issue in the Question Hour, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel (Congress) sought from the BJP government details of custodial deaths that occurred between January 2025 and January 31, 2026, in the state's central and district jails.

He also asked whether judicial inquiries in all such cases had been completed in accordance with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) guidelines.

Replying to the query, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds the home portfolio, informed the House that 66 inmates, including convicts, died in central and district jails across the state during the 13 months ended on January 31, 2026.

Of these, inquiries by judicial magistrates, mandatory in custodial deaths, have been completed in 18 deaths, and the process was underway in other cases, he said.

Furthermore, Baghel specifically raised the issue of tribal leader Jeevan Thakur, who died on December 4, 2025, after falling ill while in judicial custody, and sought details of the case.

The Deputy CM said Thakur was initially lodged in a jail in Kanker district and later shifted to a prison in the state capital Raipur, following a court order.

After his health deteriorated, Thakur was admitted to the Raipur district hospital and later to the state-run Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in the state capital, where he died during treatment. As per procedure, the jail superintendent informed the District Judge about the death, after which a committee was constituted to conduct an inquiry, Sharma said.

Baghel said Thakur was a tribal leader, who he claimed had been implicated in a false case.

The senior Congress MLA alleged that Thakur, a diabetic, did not receive timely medication in prison, and there were complaints that the jail superintendent ignored doctors' advice and denied proper medical care to him.

Baghel noted that tribal community members had staged protests across Bastar demanding a probe into Thakur's death and asked the Deputy CM what action had been taken in the matter.

The former CM insisted the Opposition was not satisfied with a magisterial inquiry into the tribal leader's death and demanded that a committee of the Assembly probe the matter.

Without commenting on the demand for a House panel probe, Sharma emphasised that the judicial inquiry process should first be allowed to conclude.

As Congress MLAs stood up and raised slogans against the government, the Speaker attempted to restore order in the House.

However, expressing dissatisfaction with the government's response, the Opposition members staged a walkout from the House.