The mysterious death of Mahendra/Manindra Mandal (50), a resident of Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, who allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in the Barari police station in Bhagalpur, has raised serious questions from his family. His nephew, Dhananjay Mandal, and daughter, Payal Mandal, have demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.

Dhananjay Mandal submitted an application to IG Vivek Kumar, requesting a fair investigation and strict action against those responsible. He claims that after his uncle's body was found hanging on July 19, 2026, he was shown a video and handed the body, but his statement was not recorded. He highlighted his uncle's good health, finding the suicide inside the police station suspicious.

Payal Mandal, the deceased's daughter, alleges that her father called her from Barari police station before his death. She possesses a 16-minute call recording where her father, speaking in Bengali, stated that 'the police had brought him to a jungle and would kill him in half an hour.' He also expressed fear that police, in collusion with a 'Raju' and his family from Pune, intended to kill him.

Numerous discrepancies have emerged in the police records and procedures. Questions are being raised about why Ritlal became the plaintiff in the UD case instead of the OD officer Ranjit, why the magistrate did not mandatorily register a case, and why Dial 112 brought Mahendra to Barari police station on July 18 instead of July 17 from Vikramshila Setu, as initially claimed. The absence of a medical board for post-mortem and videography of the incident further deepens the suspicion. Family members accuse the police of keeping them in the dark and the station house officer of denying the incident, despite an FIR for suicide being filed by SI Ritlal Mandal from the same station. There are also allegations that Dhananjay Mandal was pressured to take the body and leave quietly. According to the police office, an inquiry and departmental action against the concerned officers and personnel are underway, but accountability has not been fixed even after a month.