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The All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) has demanded an independent probe into the unnatural death of an under-trial prisoner inside the Udalguri district jail.
The jail authorities found the body of the prisoner, identified as Badsha Ali, a resident of Aminpara in the district, around 2.30 p.m. on Monday (July 27, 2026).
Udalguri Senior Superintendent of Police Padmanabh Baruah told journalists that a preliminary investigation suggested that Ali, who was facing several criminal cases, died by suicide using a gamosa (cloth towel). “The police and jail authorities have begun a probe to determine the circumstances surrounding his death,” he said, adding that a magisterial inquiry would be conducted soon.
The AAMSU described Ali’s death as a suspected custodial death and demanded a fair and transparent probe.
“The authorities must clarify how such an incident happened in a prison, considered one of the most secure places for a person in judicial custody,” AAMSU district committee president Khurshed Alam said.
He also said the family of the deceased would approach the Assam Human Rights Commission, seeking a high-level inquiry into the incident.
Five arrested
Meanwhile, the Assam Police arrested five people, including the owner of an iron casting unit in Cachar district, in connection with an explosion that killed four workers on Sunday (July 26, 2026).
The factory owner, Rakesh Kumar Surana, was arrested in Guwahati on Monday (July 27, 2026) and taken to the Udharbond police station in Cachar district. Four others, including the factory manager, were arrested locally.
The police booked the owner on charges of alleged negligence and said he had failed to ensure adequate safety measures at the industrial unit. “A team of forensic experts will examine the site to determine the exact cause of the explosion,” a police officer said.
The iron casting unit is located in a shared industrial compound in Pangram, Cachar district. Investigators initially suspected that a leak from an LPG cylinder could have triggered the explosion during the iron-casting process.
The Chief Minister’s Office later confirmed the identities of the four deceased as Kiran Munda, Appu Baraik, Shyamal Gour, and Sagar Nath.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the next of kin of each of the four deceased workers.
Published – July 28, 2026 06:43 pm IST
