Forty-two-year-old Kamal Maity was caught stealing a rickshaw van in Howrah?s Shyampur on Navami night.

Local residents thrashed him before handing him over to the police.

A few hours later, Kamal?s body was found hanging from an iron bar in the window of the police lock-up toilet.

An officer said Kamal, who used to eke out a living doing odd jobs in the locality, was profusely bleeding and unconscious while being taken into custody.

?We lodged him in the lock-up after first-aid. It seems he committed suicide late in the night by hanging himself with his lungi,? the officer added.

Some of Kamal?s relatives said he should have been shifted immediately to Howrah State General Hospital.

?Instead of throwing him into the lock-up, police should have arranged for his treatment. We believe negligence of the police prompted Kamal to take his life,? said an elderly relative.

Howrah police superintendent Mihir Kumar Bhattacharya has ordered a probe into the death. ?Though it was a case of suicide, we want to ascertain the reason behind it. We are waiting for the post-mortem report,? he informed.

Besides, the district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry.

?We have also arranged for a videography of the proceedings to ensure that there is no manipulation,? superintendent Bhattacharya said.

The West Bengal Human Rights Commission has been informed of the incident.