PDR personnel custodial death: Doctors team conducting post-mortem with videography, police writes to DM on magisterial probe

Dehradun: A panel of doctors on Sunday conducted the autopsy of 42-year-old Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD) personnel who died allegedly by suicide in the lock-up of Dehradun's Raipur police station on Saturday, with videography of the procedure carried out as per legal norms for custodial deaths.Dehradun SP (Rural-Rishikesh), Jaya Baluni, who has been assigned to lead the internal inquiry by Dehradun SSP Pramendra Dobal, confirmed the development to TOI on Sunday. She said that the exact cause of death and other details would be determined once the post-mortem report is received."We have written to Dehradun district magistrate, informing him of the case and need for a magisterial inquiry as mandated in such cases. It is DM's prerogative to appoint a magistrate for the probe," Baluni said, adding that the internal probe indicates the incident took place between 6:30pm and 6:50pm."Sunil Raturi was found hanging by a police staff member at 6:50pm during a lock-up patrol. He alerted colleagues, and Raturi was brought down and rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. An investigation will be carried out by a magistrate as per custodial death procedures," she said.In a related development, SSP Dobal suspended an SI from Dalanwala police station, who was deployed at Raipur police station at the time of the incident. "During his deployment, his conduct was found to be unprofessional. He has been suspended with immediate effect," the SSP's office stated.Earlier on Saturday, following the alleged suicide, the SSP had attached Raipur police station SHO and three other staff members to the police lines. Raturi, who was posted in the youth welfare department office, was arrested for allegedly creating a ruckus in an inebriated state at a petrol pump in the city.