Man seeks police help, allowed to stay at Ahmedabad station, dies by suicide
A 39-year-old man who approached police for help over alleged harassment was found dead inside a police station in Ahmedabad hours after he was allowed to stay on the premises, officials said.
The incident took place at the Shaherkotda police station after Raju Jatav, originally from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, approached police early on September 14. He had been working as a labourer in Jamnagar but had recently lost his job and was trying to return to his native village.
According to ACP Vani Dudhatt of Ahmedabad's E Division, a police control room alert was received around 3:48 am on September 14 about a man at Asarwa railway station who needed assistance. A PCR van was sent to the station, where officers met Jatav.
Jatav told the police that someone was allegedly troubling him, but he did not provide details about the person or explain the reason for the alleged harassment. He requested police assistance and agreed to accompany the officers to the station.
At the police station, Jatav told officers that he was 39 and was originally from Lakhimpur Kheri. He said he had been working for around three months in Moti Khavdi, Jamnagar, but had recently been dismissed from his job. He had travelled from Jamnagar to Ahmedabad by train and wanted to continue to Lakhimpur Kheri, but did not have enough money for the onward journey.
Police contacted Jatav's family and facilitated a conversation with them. He told his relatives that he wanted to return home, following which they said they would send him money online the next day to buy a ticket.
Jatav then asked the officer in charge if he could stay at the police station for some time as he had nowhere else to go. He was allowed to sit in the waiting area.
Police said Jatav remained there for some time before entering an electrical room located opposite the waiting area. He then locked the room from inside.
Around 8 am, when a police employee tried to enter the electrical room for routine work, the door did not open despite repeated knocks. The employee looked inside through a window and found Jatav dead. Police subsequently informed senior officers and began the investigation.
An accidental death case has been registered. Police carried out the inquest in the presence of a sub-divisional magistrate and also called in a forensic science team. Officials said no injury marks were found on Jatav's body.
The police have now called Jatav's family members to Ahmedabad. His body will be handed over to them after they arrive from Lakhimpur Kheri.
Investigators are also trying to establish what had led Jatav to seek police help and identify the person he had alleged was troubling him. Police will question his family members about the matter and also speak to his former employer and colleagues in Jamnagar as part of the investigation.
The Shaherkotda police station inspector is conducting further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding Jatav's death.- EndsPublished By: Nitish SinghPublished On: Sep 16, 2026 03:42 IST
