A 53-year-old man in Kerala’s Ernakulam allegedly died in police custody on Saturday night.
Police said that P Manoharan was detained during a vehicle-checking inspection and was taken to Hill Palace police station in Tripunithura in Ernakulam district, where he collapsed and died on way to the hospital.
However, eyewitnesses and relatives have alleged that Manoharan was brutally assaulted by the cops and was later tortured at the station.
In connection with the incident, a police sub-inspector was suspended while a crime branch inquiry has been ordered by the state government, said a senior police official.
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According to the eyewitnesses, Manoharan was taken into custody by the police as he did not stop his scooter after police signalled him to stop. They said the police assaulted him and dragged him to the station.
Following his death, a mob of angry protestors laid siege to the police station where Manoharan was taken under custody.
“It was cold-blooded murder. He did not have any serious medical issues, instead, he was tortured to death,” said one of his relatives.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also held protest marches to the police station seeking action against all policemen who were on duty at the time Manoharan was taken under custody.
“He was tortured to death. We want murder charges to be slapped on policemen who took him into custody,” said leader of the opposition in Kerala assembly V D Satheesan.
A senior official said the reason behind his death will only be ascertained after post-mortem.