Chhattisgarh: 66 Jail Inmates Died Since Jan 2025, Deputy CM Tells Assembly; Opposition Walks Out
New Delhi: As many as 66 inmates have died in Chhattisgarh’s jails between January 2025 and January 31 this year, a figure tabled by the BJP-led government, that caused uproar in the state’s legislative assembly, The Hindu reported.
During question hour in the assembly, former Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel raised a question on the number of custodial deaths in state’s jails in the past 13 months and asked whether judicial inquiries in all such cases had been completed in accordance with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) guidelines.
The question came in light of the recent custodial death of a tribal leader in the state.
In response, deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma informed that 66 inmates, including convicts, had died in the state’s central and district jails in 13 months till January 31, 2026. Of these, inquiries by judicial magistrates, mandatory in custodial deaths, have been completed in 18 deaths, and the process was under way in other cases, he said, as reported by the daily.
This caused an uproar with Baghel launching a sharp attack on the government overcrowding, healthcare collapse, and the state of law and order, alleging that the prison system was buckling under pressure.
Adivasi leader Jeevan Thakur had died on December 4 last year after falling ill in judicial custody.
Sharma told the House that Thakur was initially lodged in a jail in Kanker district and later shifted to a prison in Raipur following a court order. However, as his health deteriorated, Thakur was admitted to the Raipur district hospital and later to the state-run Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Ranchi, where he died during treatment.
Sharma also informed the House that a committee was constituted to conduct an inquiry into the death as per procedure.
However, the opposition MLAs, including Baghel, questioned the circumstances around his death and claimed that he had been implicated in a false case.
पुलिस कस्टडी में मौत!!
कांकेर जेल में बंद आदिवासी नेता जीवन ठाकुर की रायपुर में मृत्यु हुई.पुलिस कस्टडी में एक आदिवासी नेता की मौत के बाद भी गृहमंत्री उसकी जांच विधानसभा की समिति से करवाने को तैयार नहीं हैं. ऐसा क्यों?
अगर जनप्रतिनिधि ऐसा चाहते हैं तो तकलीफ क्या है? जांच से… pic.twitter.com/gw1PmJuyXo
— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) February 26, 2026
Baghel alleged that Thakur was diabetic and did not receive timely medication or proper medical care in prison. He alleged there were complaints that the jail superintendent ignored doctors’ advice.
The former chief minister demanded that Thakur's death be investigated by a committee of the legislative assembly.
Meanwhile, Sharma said that the judicial inquiry process should first be allowed to conclude. Congress MLAs stood up in protest, raising slogans against the government. Several opposition members staged a walkout.
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