Ahmedabad – The political and legal storm surrounding Rajkot journalist Suresh Vadecha’s allegations of severe police torture intensified today as Gujarat Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani publicly rejected the purported medical report related to the case. Mevani has demanded the immediate suspension of Rajkot DCP Jagdish Bangadwa and a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or the CBI.

The controversy erupted when Vadecha, accused DCP Jagdish Bangadwa of the Crime Branch of brutal assault. In a video statement circulated on social media by MLA Mevani, Vadaicha alleged that he was tortured without any formal FIR being filed against him .

"He told me that 'Without any FIR, Rajkot Crime Branch DCP Jagdish Bangarwa broke my leg and filled my private parts with petrol twice,'" Mevani posted on X . Vadecha claims the police were retaliating against him because of a viral video exposé he produced that allegedly forced police to halt extortion activities 

In contrast to the torture allegations, DCP Jagdish Bangadwa has dismissed the claims as a "drama" orchestrated to divert attention from a pending criminal investigation. "We have not subjected him to any physical assault. He is a criminal, and multiple criminal cases have been registered against him," Bangarwa told The Wire.

The DCP also shared certain documents, according to which eight cases have been registered against Vadecha between 2020 and 2025, the majority of which pertain to disturbing the peace and local disputes. In some cases, the complainants subsequently recommended that the cases be dismissed.

The latest case dates back to March 10, where Bharatbhai Virjibhai Sagar, the proprietor of 'Bhagyalakshmi Scrap,' has accused Vadecha of attempting to extort large sums of money by recording a video of his "business premises."

"An application against this man is pending before the police. He is doing all this drama so that there is no police investigation against him. A criminal application is pending showing him as an accused," Bangarwa told the media .

The DCP further suggested that MLA Mevani has a "personal issue" against him and is using the incident for political mileage.

In a latest detailed post on social media, Mevani dismissed the official medical report that has surfaced in the case as far from the truth.

"The so-called medical report that has come out in Vadecha case of Rajkot is far from the truth," Mevani wrote. "Therefore, I demand that DCP Jagdish Bangadwa be suspended, a criminal case be filed against him, and the investigation be handed over to the SIT or CBI so that the real truth can come out."

The MLA did not stop at the Vadecha case. He alleged a pattern of misconduct, claiming there are "more than two dozen such cases" of police excesses. Mevani used the platform to highlight what he claims is a broader pattern of police brutality and misuse of power in Rajkot. He referenced additional pending cases, including:

• A "completely innocent, simple-natured doctor" who was allegedly threatened with obscene language and framed in a false case.

• An alleged fabricated case involving DD Solanki, where police are accused of threatening him with a seizure and using abusive language .

"The power has been misused not only against the accused but against completely innocent people, and they will have to suffer its punishment," Mevani asserted. Mevani has written a letter to the chief minister demanding the registration of an FIR against the DCP, as well as his arrest and dismissal.

Custodial Deaths in India

Accord­ing to the data shared by min­is­ter of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai in the Lok Sabha on March 24, in Gujarat 85 custodial deaths have been reported during the period from April 2021 to March 15, 2026.

As of March 15 this year, 14 cases of custodial deaths were recorded in Gujarat, placing it among the states with the highest rates of such incidents. Across the coun­try, Bihar leads the tally this year, fol­lowed by Rajasthan and Uttar Pra­desh, which has repor­ted 15 cus­todial deaths so far.

When viewed over a five-year period from April 2021 to March 2026, Maha­rashtra tops the list with 101 deaths, fol­lowed by Gujarat and Bihar with 85 cases each, Uttar Pra­desh with 56, and Rajasthan at the fifth pos­i­tion with 51 deaths.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issue advisories from time to time to ensure protection of human rights. Further, pursuant to the guidelines issued by the NHRC, every death in custody, police or judicial, natural or otherwise, is to be reported to the Commission within 24 hours of its occurrence. The Commission also issued guidelines for video filming of post-mortem and circulated model autopsy form to rule out any negligence/foul play or torture in custodial deaths.