'Cops sent us on wildgoose chase'

Kin say they were sent to Santosh hospital but body was in Bowring

Breakdown: Angry relatives damaged Santosh Hospitalu00a0 during their protest Pic/Ramesh HS

Kin say they were sent to Santosh hospital but body was in Bowring

Arun (28), a flower vendor and a resident of Gandhigram, died in police custody late last evening.u00a0 And his family had to run from one hospital to another before finding his body.

And then came the question of whether it was a death in lock-up.

"Arun's wife passed away recently. Unable to come to terms with her death, heu00a0 started drinking heavily.u00a0 He may have gotten into a fight in a drunken state," said Denis.

M R Pujar, ACP (law and order), said, "In the brawl, Arun attacked Vijay with a knife and slit his cheek. Some policemen who were in the vicinity rounded them up and took them to the Frazer Town police station."
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He also said, police took Vijay's statement, got him treated at Santosh Hospital and released him.

But Arun's relatives allege that he was beaten up severely in the lock-up, following which he died.

When Arun's parents, brother Denise and other relatives went to the police station in search of him, police told them their son had been admitted to Santosh Hospital after he developed some health complications.

But his parents did not find him there. Instead, they found it at Bowring Hospital.

Dr Venkatesh, a doctor at Santosh hospital, said the police brought Arun to the hospital around 10.30pm, but he was already dead.

Family protest

Arun's family then returned to the police station along with relatives and friends and staged a protest in front of the station demanding to know why the police had misguided them about their son's whereabouts.

A police constable apparently told the parents that their son had died in the lock-up. The parents filed a complaint with Sichrem, an NGO dealing with human rights issues.

Frazer Town police justifying themselves said, "While he was being brought to the police station, he developed chest pain. We took him to a private clinic where he was declared dead."