A 39-year-old migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh was found hanging inside an electric room at Shaherkotda police station in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, 15 September, hours after he had voluntarily accompanied officers to the station while seeking assistance to return home. The deceased has been identified as Raju Jatav, a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh.

How the Night Unfolded

Jatav had called the police control room at around 3:48 a.m. on 14 September, after arriving at Asarwa railway station in Ahmedabad. According to police, a PCR-35 van from Shaherkotda police station was dispatched following a message that a person was being harassed at the location.

Officers said Jatav told them he had been removed from his job but was unable to give a clear account of the circumstances. He had reportedly been working as a labourer at Moti Khavdi in Jamnagar for approximately three months before leaving for his home state. He had alighted at Asarwa on his way back and then contacted the police.

Jatav appeared visibly distressed, according to officials. He was counselled at the station and was permitted to speak to a relative over his mobile phone, during which he expressed that he needed money for train fare. The relative reportedly assured him that funds would be transferred online by morning.

Since it was raining and Jatav had no accommodation, he requested to remain at the station until the money arrived and then board an early morning train to Uttar Pradesh. He was allowed to stay in the waiting area. Police said he did not disclose the specific reason for his distress and stated he did not want any action taken at that point. An entry was made in the station diary.

What Police Found in the Morning

At around 8:30 a.m., after the night duty officer completed the shift, the door of the electric room on the ground floor was found locked from the inside. Repeated knocking received no response. Officers looked through a slightly open window and found Jatav hanging from a fan. According to police, he had used the trousers he was wearing to hang himself.

An inquest panchnama was conducted in the presence of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and a forensic post-mortem examination was carried out by a panel of doctors with videography.

Police Version and the Custody Question

DCP (Zone-3) Rupal Solanki stated that Jatav was not in police custody and had not been detained in connection with any offence. 'He was also a little disturbed. We brought him to the police station because he wanted to react to something, he had some issue,' Solanki said. She added that Jatav had contacted his family, who assured him money would be sent in the morning, and that he had then requested permission to stay until the train.

A case of accidental death has been registered at Shaherkotda police station under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Investigation Ongoing, Family Expected

Police have said they are yet to establish the precise reason for Jatav's distress and have also not confirmed exactly what work he was performing in Jamnagar. His brother is expected to arrive from Delhi, after which investigators hope to gather more details about his circumstances and the events leading up to his death.

This incident has drawn attention to the vulnerabilities of inter-state migrant labourers — a population that frequently falls through the cracks of both welfare infrastructure and institutional support when stranded far from home. The case is likely to invite scrutiny of police protocols for handling distressed individuals who seek shelter at stations voluntarily.