Death and secret cremation of Thai fisherman in Indian jail to be investigated

The Human Rights Commission in the Indian state of West Bengal says it will conduct a high-level inquiry into the death and reported secret cremation of a Thai fisherman detained in a state prison.

Human rights groups allege that the fisherman, De Dong Prapart, was tortured by his jailers before his death last month; the authorities say he died of natural causes.

Thai consular officials in Calcutta say they have neither received a copy of the post-mortem report nor been informed of De Dong Prapart's cremation.

Shortly after his death, and before his reported cremation, a Calcutta court found the fisherman not guilty of piracy and ordered his repatriation to Thailand.

The same judgement applied to more than one hundred of his fellow fishermen detained with De Dong Prapart since their boats were seized in Indian waters last July.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service