A Sixteen Year Retrospective Study of Custodial Deaths in Marathwada Region of Maharashtra, India

Custody deaths are not uncommon in India. It is important to carry out research in this field. In this 16 year retrospective study, we analysed all cases of custodial deaths brought for autopsy at Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Govt. Medical College, Aurangabad during year 2000 to 2015. Total 126 cases were studied which showed male preponderance (N=123, 97.62%) over female (N=03, 2.38%). Observed mean age was 43.70 years. Out of 126 cases, 109 were occurred in prison and 17 cases in police custody. Natural diseases were cause of death in 91 cases (72.22%), while in 35 cases (16.67%) death was due to unnatural cause. Out of natural causes, maximum cases died of respiratory diseases (31.87%). Suicide was most common unnatural manner of death. Four cases of homicide were observed.