A 28-year-old man in Kasargode died while he was being taken to the police station, on Friday.

Sandeep, an autorickshaw driver, was a suspect in a case. He collapsed and died while being taken to the station after being booked in a case related to drinking at a farm and verbally abusing officials of the Agriculture Department. After his pulse rate became low, police took Sandeep to the General Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. 

Sandeep, living in the quarters of CPCRI at Chowki, along with his associates was accused of making the seed farm at Beeranthavayal, a drinking base. The accused used to sit at the farm and drink every day, police said. Malayalam dailies also quoted the police as saying that Agriculture Department officials complained that the men verbally abused them.

On Friday, seeing the police, the accused tried to flee the place. Police then ran after them and were able to catch them. Meanwhile family members of Sandeep alleged that he died of police assault. His brother Deepak said that Sandeep was kicked and stamped by the cops as per the information he got from the co-accused in the case. 

But police rejected the allegations saying that the Agriculture Department officials can testify that they didn’t assault the suspects.Meanwhile, the BJP has called for a hartal in Kasargode Assembly constituency from 6am to 6pm.