A 28-year-old autodriver, who was taken into police custody in Mysuru on Friday night, died at around midnight after being lodged in a jail cell.
Following the death, Mani’s parents, neighbours and relatives barged into the police station accusing the police of having beaten Mani to death.
According to the police, Mani was taken into custody by police personnel of the Narasimha Raj station on Saturday night.
“Mani lived within the NR Police Station limits. Mani, his neighbour Srinivas alias Seena, and a few other friends of Seena were drinking together. Mani and Seena got into an argument, which led to fisticuffs. The neighbours had complained to the police of a ruckus and they had picked up Mani, while Seena and his friends had fled the spot,” said a Mysuru police official, who spoke to TNM on condition of anonymity.
Mani was lodged inside a cell at the NR Police Station, and at around midnight a few police personnel noticed that he was unconscious. They took him to the nearby government hospital, where he was declared brought dead, added the official.
When Mani’s parents were informed, his mother and a few other relatives barged into the police station, crying uncontrollably and demanding to see Mani’s body.
A few of Mani’s neighbours told mediapersons that Seena and his friends had assaulted Mani severely before the police arrived.
“He was already hurt when the police took him away. I don’t know if they beat him further once he was lodged inside the prison. They did not even take him to the hospital for treatment. He would still be alive if they had investigated the situation properly,” Mani’s mother alleged, while talking to media persons outside the police station.
The NR police personnel managed to pacify the crowd by assuring Mani’s relatives that the incident would be probed thoroughly to bring to light the cause of death.
Mani was an autodriver and, according to his family, he was not diagnosed with any diseases. His parents have alleged that it was custodial violence that had led to his death.