The death of 20-year-old Muslim youth Faiz Anwar while in police custody in Siwan district of Bihar has triggered public outrage, with serious allegations of torture, procedural lapses, and state inaction.
Anwar, son of Mohammad Aslam and a resident of Mohiuddinpur, Siwan, was arrested on July 31, 2025, in connection with an earlier theft case.
On August 2, police declared him dead, claiming he fell ill, was taken to a hospital, and allegedly died by suicide there.
His family rejects this version, alleging that Faiz was brutally assaulted in custody and that his death was deliberate.
Saif Ali, elder brother of Anwar, speaking to Maktoob, said, “His body bore visible injuries, including two deep marks on his neck, indicative of forceful strangulation.”
“I was trying to meet him in custody and applied multiple times, but was sent back by the police three times. When I finally got the time to meet him, I saw police taking the body outside the jail premises and didn’t even inform me that it was my brother Faiz,” Ali told Maktoob.
He said, “I intervened to find out that it was my brother, and when I asked the police where and why he was being taken, they only told me that he fell inside the jail hospital and they were taking him to the hospital.”
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.