A 30-year-old man from Guwahati, who was arrested for allegedly beheading his wife and hiding her severed head in a refrigerator, died after a violent encounter with police. The incident occurred while he was being transported from a hospital where he had undergone medical examinations. Reports indicate that he attacked the Assam Police personnel, then jumped from a moving vehicle and fell into a gorge, leading to his fatal injuries, according to an officer’s statement on Monday.
Neighbours reported a foul odour, leading police to recover the severed head and fingers inside a black polythene bag in the refrigerator. His seven-day police remand was to end on Monday, and the police were to produce him before the court. “He jumped from the vehicle and fell into a gorge near the Narakashur Pahar area. He added that Goswami was rescued with injuries and was taken to hospital, where the doctors declared him dead. The Supreme Court directed the commission to reconsider the matter and conduct the probe, including allegations of injuries from illegal police action, popularly known as encounters. It asked the AHRC to approach the matter with sensitivity and the Assam government to cooperate fully and remove any institutional barriers.
Records showed Goswami was brought to the hospital at 2:41am and declared dead on arrival. Goswami allegedly beheaded Talukdar, 25, on September 3 at a Guwahati flat for allegedly cheating on him. In January 2023, the high court said people were killed and injured in police action, but the state government had registered first information reports to probe them. Jwadder’s petition said 54 people were killed and 140 injured in police action.
Anjad Brahma, the officer-in-charge of the Hatigaon Police Station where Ramanuj Goswami was being taken, said that the incident happened in the early hours of Monday and the body has been sent for postmortem. A second officer said Goswami suddenly attacked the police team escorting him back to the police station. Doctors said he had severe head injuries.
Family Rejects Body, Alleges Encounter Killing
The family of Goswami has refused to accept his body, asserting that his death was not accidental but rather a result of a so-called “encounter” killing. They had initially planned post-death rituals for his wife, Riya Talukdar, but these were canceled following the news of Goswami’s death. According to Hindu customs, the family stated that such rituals cannot proceed after the death of a spouse.
