A 35-year-old man died in suspicious circumstances at Sattenapalli on Monday but the relatives of the man claimed that he died after the police assaulted him at a check-post.
The man identified as Sk. Ghouse went out of his home at Venkatapathy Nagar colony in Sattenapalli when he was stopped by the police at a check-post around 8 am. He had a known history of cardiovascular disease and was going to a medical shop on Narsaraopet Road to get medicines.
He was stopped by the police and asked to go back. The relatives of the man alleged that he was beaten by the SI, Sattenapalli, Ramesh but the police were quick to deny.
Later, protests rocked the town.
The incident has raised questions about the behaviour of the police during relaxation hours of the lockdown. The government announced that a relaxation of three hours would be given from 6 am to 9 am, but on the condition that reasonable restrictions would be in place. The police have been restricting the movement of people beyond the 3 km buffer zone outside their home, but there have been instances of rough behaviour by them.
IGP denies charge
Hours after the incident, Inspector General of Police, Guntur J. Prabhakara Rao told reporters that the man had collapsed on the road and denied that the police had assaulted him. He, however, said the SI had been placed under suspension and a sub-divisional magistrate asked to conduct an inquiry. A case under Section 151 Cr.P.C had been registered.
The postmortem was videographed and if the reports suggested that the man was indeed assaulted by the police, action would be taken against those responsible, he said.
