Guwahati: The family of 30-year-old Ramanuj Goswami, who died in police custody in the early hours of Monday, has rejected the Guwahati Police account of his death, alleging that the accused in the murder case may have been killed in an extrajudicial “encounter” rather than dying in an accidental fall while allegedly trying to escape.

Ramanuj’s father, Tarun Goswami, said he did not believe the version given by Hatigaon police and demanded a judicial inquiry into his son’s death.

“I never believed Hatigaon police. There should be a judicial inquiry or an investigation monitored by the court,” he said.

The allegation assumes added significance in the context of a strong constitutional warning issued by Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan in Guwahati on Monday, although his remarks were made as a general observation and were not specifically about Goswami’s death.

“The extrajudicial killing of an accused is always contrary to the Constitution. It is never justifiable. Not just the courts, everyone associated with human rights should oppose it. The law always functions according to the Constitution,” Justice Bhuyan said.

Tarun Goswami said he would personally examine his son’s body to ascertain whether there were any gunshot injuries.

He also questioned why his son, who had surrendered before police in connection with the murder case, would allegedly attempt to flee from custody.

“I am leaving the matter to the public. I will take the matter to the High Court and the Supreme Court,” he said.

The family initially refused to accept Goswami’s body but later agreed to receive it and perform his last rites at the Gauripur crematorium.

Police version under question

The police have maintained that Ramanuj was not shot and died after jumping from a moving police vehicle while allegedly attempting to escape custody.

According to police officials, Ramanuj was being taken from Hatigaon police station to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) around 3 am for a medical examination and blood tests ahead of his scheduled court appearance.

Police claimed that when the vehicle reached the Narakasur Hills area near the TV Tower, Goswami attacked two escort personnel and jumped from the moving vehicle into a gorge in an attempt to escape.

Police further claimed that no shots were fired and that Goswami sustained fatal head injuries from the fall. He was retrieved by the police team and taken to GMCH, where doctors declared him brought dead. His body was subsequently transferred to the morgue for post-mortem examination.

But the police account has left several questions unanswered.

A family member, speaking on condition of anonymity, questioned how a person in police custody could allegedly overpower two escort personnel and jump from a moving vehicle.

“If he was handcuffed and under police escort, how could he attack two policemen and jump from the vehicle? What were the other personnel inside the vehicle doing?” the family member asked.

The family has also questioned the route chosen by the police.

The distance from Hatigaon police station to GMCH through Hatigaon-Ganeshguri-GS Road is around 5–6 km. The alternative route through Kahilipara and Narakasur Hills, where police said Goswami allegedly jumped, is around 8.7 km.

That raises another question: Why was a longer and more isolated hilly route taken to transport a person in police custody to GMCH in the early hours of the morning?

With little traffic expected on GS Road at around 3 am, the choice of the Narakasur Hills route requires an explanation from the police.

The issue is not merely the distance. The route is central to the police narrative because it was along this comparatively isolated stretch that police say a handcuffed accused allegedly attacked escort personnel and escaped from a moving vehicle.

Why was the accused being taken through that route? How many policemen were in the vehicle? Was Goswami handcuffed? If so, how did he allegedly overpower the escort personnel? Were the policemen armed? What exactly happened inside the vehicle before the alleged fall?

These are questions that cannot be answered by the police version alone.

An independent investigation will also have to establish the exact nature and location of Goswami’s injuries, whether there were any firearm injuries, whether he was handcuffed at the time of the incident, the condition of the police vehicle, the statements of all escort personnel and the precise circumstances in which he allegedly fell into the gorge.

Another custodial death

Goswami was arrested by Guwahati Police on September 6 in connection with the alleged murder of his wife, Riya Talukdar. Police alleged that Goswami beheaded Talukdar, 25, at a Guwahati flat on September 3 following a dispute in which he accused her of cheating on him.

Goswami fled after the alleged killing and surrendered before police on September 6. He was subsequently remanded to seven days of police custody.

His death has now added another case to Assam’s long and controversial record of deaths and shootings involving accused persons during police custody, late-night operations and alleged escape attempts.

In August 2024, Tafazul Islam, accused in the Dhing gang-rape case, died after police claimed he escaped while handcuffed during a crime-scene visit at around 3 am and jumped into a pond, where he drowned. Police later said the late-night operation was necessitated by protests and a tense situation in Dhing during the daytime.

In December 2021, Niraj Das, accused in the lynching of AASU leader Animesh Bhuyan, died after police claimed he jumped from a vehicle while being taken to a location where he had allegedly disclosed information about a hidden drug consignment. Police said he was subsequently struck by the escort vehicle.

In May 2022, Asiqul Islam, accused of setting fire to Batadrava Police Station, also died after police claimed he jumped from a moving vehicle during an operation and was hit by the escort vehicle.

Several accused persons have also been shot during such police operations.

In March 2022, Biki Ali, accused in a Guwahati gang-rape case, was shot during a crime-scene reconstruction after police claimed he attempted to escape and attacked officers.

Around the same period, Rajesh Munda, accused of the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl, was killed in police firing after police claimed he attempted to escape while being taken to the place of occurrence in the early hours.

The pattern has repeatedly raised questions about the circumstances in which accused persons allegedly “escape” from police custody — often during late-night operations and while surrounded by armed personnel.

Need for an independent probe

A death in police custody demands scrutiny irrespective of the circumstances claimed by the police. Whether the person died in an alleged escape attempt, from injuries sustained in custody or from another cause, the circumstances require an independent inquiry.

The Supreme Court has also intervened in allegations of extrajudicial killings in Assam. In 2025, it directed the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to reconsider and investigate allegations of extrajudicial killings and excessive or illegal use of force by police.

The court overturned a January 2022 decision of the AHRC to close a case concerning alleged extrajudicial killings and directed the commission to reconsider the allegations, including claims of injuries resulting from unlawful police action. It also asked the Assam government to cooperate fully with the investigation and remove institutional barriers.

Against that backdrop, Goswami’s death cannot be reduced to the police claim that an accused allegedly jumped from a moving vehicle.

The central questions are simple but serious: What happened inside the police vehicle? Why was the longer Narakasur Hills route chosen? How did a person allegedly under police restraint overpower his escorts? What injuries did he sustain? And can the police account withstand an independent examination of the evidence?

Justice Bhuyan’s warning on Monday goes to the heart of the issue: the police cannot become the judge, jury and executioner. The law must operate within the Constitution — including when the person in custody stands accused of a brutal crime.

Only an independent, transparent investigation can establish what happened to Ramanuj Goswami in the early hours of Monday.