GHRC takes suo motu cognisance of custodial death of Bengal migrant

PANAJI
The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the death of a 34-year-old migrant worker from West Bengal who died while under police custody, and has ordered a detailed inquiry to rule out any foul play.
In an order on Tuesday, the Commission, headed by Acting Chairperson Desmond D’Costa and Member Pramod Kamat, issued notices to the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police, South Goa, directing them to inquire into the custodial or institutional death of Debanand Sana and submit their reports by March 10.
The order was passed after the Commission perused a letter dated December 29, 2025, received from the Office of the Collector and District Magistrate, South Goa, informing it of the death.
Sana, a mason reportedly working in Vasco, died at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim. As per reports, he was earlier admitted to the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour at Bambolim before being shifted to GMC, where he succumbed while still technically under police custody.
The death has sparked outrage in Sana’s hometown of Taki municipality in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, where family members and residents have accused the Vasco police of custodial negligence and demanded an impartial inquiry.
Police sources stated that Sana was allegedly apprehended by locals in Bhute Bhat on December 25 on suspicion of burglary; was beaten and tied to a pole before being handed over to the police. The incident captured in a video later went viral on social media.
The West Bengal government has reportedly sought details from its counterparts in Goa regarding the circumstances leading to Sana’s death.