Hyderabad: A 28-year-old man who was detained by the Mangalhat police died under suspicious circumstances leading to tension in the area on Saturday. Alleging custodial death, scores of people gathered at the police station demanding action against the police. Police said Bheem Singh, a resident of Mangalhat, had collapsed at the police station. He was taken to the Osmania General Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. Bheem Singh specialised in making Ganesh idols at Dhoolpet.
The protesters and family members of Bheem Singh alleged that he was beaten by the police. Local MLA Raja Singh and his aides joined the protesters, heigh-tening tension in the area. Senior officials from West Zone denied the allegations and said he could have died due to a heart stroke. According to victim’s relatives, police had picked up Bheem Singh on Friday evening. He was in police custody till Saturday morning, when he collapsed.
“Singh had a quarrel with his acquaintance named Ajay on some petty issue. Ajay lodged a complaint with the police against Singh. Mangalhat police arrested Singh and took him to the police station,” said a local source. It is not yet clear if the police had issued an FIR. Singh’s friends said that th-ere was no FIR against him, and the police had called him to the station orally without any arrest warrant. A large police force rushed to the spot to control the protesters. Senior police officials went to the police station to calm down the agitators. by promising a fair inquiry.
