Ex-TMC councillor’s husband dies in Bengal police custody

Birju Keot, husband of former Trinamool Congress councillor Jenny Sharma Keot, died in police custody at Halisahar police station in North 24 Parganas. His family alleged custodial torture, while police sources suggested a possible heart attack.

Kolkata: The husband of the former Trinamool Congress councillor of Kanchrapara Municipality in North 24 Parganas district died in police custody, the family alleged on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Birju Keot. His wife Jenny Sharma Keot, the former Trinamool councillor of ward number 23 of Kanchrapara Municipality, alleged that her husband died after being beaten up in the lock‑up. There was no reaction from the police in connection with the incident.

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Officers of Halisahar police station arrested Birju on various charges, including extortion. He was produced in court on Friday, where the judge ordered five days of police custody.

The family claimed that Jenny went to the police station at around 10 p.m. on Friday and met her husband. She said Birju was healthy at that time. The family added that the police station also conducted a medical examination of him, and the report did not mention any serious physical problems. Jenny also brought clothes for her husband to wear.

On Saturday, the family alleged that Birju was tortured in police custody after midnight. Jenny claimed her husband was beaten with his hands and feet tied.

A source from Halisahar police station said Birju was found lying ill in the lock‑up after midnight. He was rushed to Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Nadia district’s Kalyani, where doctors declared him dead. Initial speculation is that he may have died of a heart attack.

However, the real cause of death is not yet certain, and it is unclear whether there are injury marks on his body. The cause of death will be confirmed only after the autopsy report is received, the police source said.

Speaking to media persons, Jenny said her husband was innocent and had been tortured and killed in police custody. She noted that they have two children, one of whom is only three years old. The family demanded an impartial investigation into the incident and punishment of the guilty.

The incident has drawn sharp reactions from the Trinamool Congress. Party MP Abhishek Banerjee slammed the police administration for Keot’s death.

In a post on X, Banerjee wrote: “BIRJU KEOT. His name was not in the FIR. The @WBPolice still picked him up. He died in custody. His family alleges brutal police assault. READ THAT AGAIN.”

He further said: “When the State can take a man into custody despite his name not appearing in the FIR, and he does not come out alive, the question is no longer merely about law and order. It is about the rule of law itself. Under @BJP4Bengal, allegations of police excesses and political violence are becoming harder to dismiss as isolated incidents. Who protects the citizen when the police become the source of fear? How long will we pretend that this is the ‘Parivartan’ people were promised?”