BSF Constable Jaswinder Singh’s Family Reveals Horrifying Details of Custodial Torture and Systemic Apathy

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Jaswinder Singh, a 35-year-old Border Security Force (BSF) constable, died in the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on March 20, 2026. The incident raised serious concerns about custodial torture and whether state machinery can be held accountable. Jaswinder spent 17 days in NCB custody before his death, where he was questioned in connection with drug-related cases linked to his brother. His brother, Pupinder, had earlier been interrogated by the NCB but was later discharged by the court in both cases — 22/2024 and 26/2024. He was discharged in one case in January 2026 and in the second case in March 2026.

The Caravan published a report on April 30, 2026, detailing the timeline of the incident as narrated by Jaswinder’s family, who are still waiting for justice. The report highlighted how, during the interrogation period, Jaswinder was allegedly unable to contact his family or legal team and was reportedly subjected to physical abuse. He later died on March 20, 2026, at a private hospital in Amritsar after suffering cardiac complications. The case drew major controversy after the postmortem report was released. The report documented 34 injuries across his body, including severe bruising, internal bleeding, organ damage, and head injuries. The findings raised serious allegations of custodial torture and possible foul play.

The family alleged that Jaswinder was subjected to physical abuse during interrogation and denied proper access to legal or medical assistance. They demanded an independent investigation, registration of a murder case against the officials involved, and preservation of medical and custody records. The matter gained national attention after videos and photographs of Jaswinder’s injured body circulated online.

See Also: BSF Jawan Dies After NCB Custody, Family Alleges Torture as Autopsy Report Reveals Multiple Injuries

While speaking to The Caravan, Jaswinder’s wife Lovejeet and his brother Pupinder, who had been implicated in a drug-related case, gave statements regarding the incident. His wife blamed NCB officer Aakash Rai and other officers involved in the case for his death. The NCB later suspended investigating officer Aakash Rai and transferred the probe from the Jammu unit to the Delhi unit. The incident occurred while Jaswinder was at home on leave in February 2026.

On March 3, 2026, Jaswinder visited Jammu jail with his mother Gurmeet Kour to meet his brother Pupinder, who had been arrested in drug-related cases being investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). After the visit, when they were on their way home, Jaswinder and his mother were allegedly intercepted by NCB officials who came to arrest him. Gurmeet alleged that they beat Jaswinder for nearly an hour before taking him away and claimed that there were seven officials present. She also said that when she tried to stop them, NCB officials pushed and punched her on her face because of which she lost a tooth. 

Then, left bruised and bloodied in the middle of the road, she asked strangers for help and managed to gather some money to reach the NCB office in Jammu. She also informed her two daughters-in-law, who later joined her there. The family then called 112, the police helpline number, and stood outside the NCB office. Jaswinder’s mother, Gurmeet, said that the officers tried to chase them away, but she did not budge and continued waiting there along with her daughters-in-law.

For several days, the family was unable to contact Jaswinder. Lovejeet, the wife of the BSF officer, described her biggest fear: “My biggest fear used to be his safety on the border in Tripura, far from home. I feared him dying at the border,” she said. “But not like this—literally being frisked away while he was on leave and at home, and dying by torture in NCB custody,” she added. 

On March 4, 2026, the family waited outside the NCB office hoping to meet him, but only Jaswinder’s wife Lovejeet was called inside. Instead of being taken to Jaswinder, she was allegedly made to meet an NCB lawyer who, according to Jaswinder’s mother, Gurmeet’s account, asked her to cooperate and compromise. For days afterward, they remained unable to contact him, and during the custody hearings they allegedly struggled to approach the court system properly.

Lovejeet recalled one incident when she and her sister-in-law tried to present their concerns before a judge she said they felt intimidated. She added that while returning, they avoided the usual route because they felt like someone was following them.

On March 13, 2026, Jaswinder managed to make a brief four-minute call to Lovejeet from an unknown number. Lovejeet recalled that in the call Jaswinder sounded terrified. According to her, Jaswinder told Lovejeet he was being tortured. “He asked me to call his lawyer to get his medicals done.” This was the last conversation she had with him.

On March 18, 2026, the last medical examination before his death took place, and Jaswinder was declared mentally and physically fit. This was less than 48 hours before his death. However, the postmortem report later stated that many injuries had been inflicted during the final days of his custody.

At around 2:45 am on March 20, 2026, Lovejeet received a late-night phone call from NCB officer Aakash Rai (now under suspension) informing her that Jaswinder’s condition had worsened and that he had been shifted to Pulse Hospital in Amritsar.

According to wife Lovejeet, Rai Told her that they are taking Jaswinder to Amritsar for a health check up as his blood pressure has dropped. “Jaswinder’s blood pressure had dropped significantly and that he had been taken to Pulse Hospital in Amritsar, located over two hundred kilometres away,” NCB officer Akash Rai told Lovejeet on call. Rai allegedly asked the family to come immediately, but Lovejeet suspected that he was lying in order to harass them further. “Perhaps it was a trap to call us.”

Lovejeet also questioned why Jaswinder had been taken to Amritsar instead of being admitted to a hospital in Jammu. According to her, Rai repeatedly asked her to come and then disconnected the call. Lovejeet said she called Rai multiple times afterward, but he did not answer. When he eventually responded, he reportedly told her that Jaswinder was in the intensive care unit. She further recalled asking Rai to do a video call he refused “I asked him to do a video call to see how Jaswinder was keeping. She said Rai refused. “He said it was not allowed and cut the call.” According to her, Rai remained unreachable for hours afterward despite repeated calls from the family seeking updates about Jaswinder’s condition.

See Also: Landmark Verdict in Sathankulam Custodial Deaths: All Nine Accused Get Death Penalty in ‘Rarest of the Rare’ Case

The village sarpanch and other members of the gurudwara committee later informed the family that Jaswinder had died after allegedly suffering a cardiac arrest. Lovejeet said the family did not believe the claim and suspected it was false. According to her, Rai remained unreachable and avoided video calls from the family, increasing their suspicions. She told The Caravan, “We made more than a hundred calls to Rai, but he did not respond.” The family even turned back midway to Amritsar because they did not remember the hospital’s name, as the call had been brief, and they were unable to contact the officer.

Later, the family approached a local deputy superintendent of police, who dialed Rai. According to Lovejeet, Rai answered and said that he had been in court and because of that was not able to receive her calls. Rai also confirmed that Jaswinder had died. “He also said that Jaswinder had died and that we should take his dead body,” Lovejeet recalled. Pupinder, Jaswinder’s brother, later stated, “We got to know that Jaswinder had died—rather, he was killed.” Lovejeet emotionally recalled, “I don’t remember what happened after that.” She also admitted that she “was not able to bring herself to see the photographs and videos from the mortuary.”

When the family finally reached the hospital, they allegedly found severe injuries across Jaswinder’s body. Jaswinder’s mother Gurmeet said that while NCB officers were distracted, she asked someone to record videos of the injuries, which later circulated widely online. “We got to know that Jaswinder had died—rather, he was killed,” Pupinder said to The Caravan.

On March 22, 2026, Jaswinder was cremated with state honours, but the family continued protesting and demanding justice. On March 21, 2026, Lovejeet wrote a letter to the Punjab Police asking for an immediate inquiry. She wrote to authorities demanding an independent investigation, preservation of all CCTV footage related to the case, and criminal cases against the NCB officers involved. The family maintained that Jaswinder had been illegally detained and also submitted a petition with the same demands to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Pupinder alleged that “His brother’s killing was an act of vendetta.” He also claimed that after his own release, the torture intensified. “That was when they increased the intensity of the torture further, frustrated that I was out,” he said. According to him, the torture intensified on or after he was released from prison.

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