Family and locals protest after 22-year-old dies in Haryana police custody in Odisha

On Sunday night, officers from Haryana’s Hansi police station seized a 22-year-old man in Malkangiri on suspicion of drug smuggling and placed him in a local lodge rather than a police station. The following morning his body was found in the hotel, and his family alleges police brutality and a cover-up as suicide. The incident sparked unrest, with villagers burning tyres, blocking National Highway 326 and surrounding the Malkangiri police station, demanding that the Haryana officers be arrested.

Resident Sameer Sarkar questioned why the detainee was kept at the lodge and called for his release if evidence was lacking. Superintendent of Police Vinod Patil registered an unnatural-death case, sent the body for post-mortem examination, and pledged action based on the findings. The death has heightened tensions in the region and drawn scrutiny to police procedures.