Police denied the claims, and said that Irfan died of a heart attack.
Hyderabad:The family members of a 35-year-old autorickshaw driver claimed on Wednesday that he had died following a police assault at the Rajendranagar police station. The victim, Mohd Irfan, had gone to the police station in connection with a complaint lodged by his wife. Police denied the claims, and said that Irfan died of a heart attack.
Police said Irfan’s wife had complained to the police about his alleged extramarital affair with one of her cousins and they were investigating the complaint. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Sadiq, brother of the deceased, said that Irfan had initially tried to seek a compromise with his wife. However, her family chose to reach out to the police.
Sadiq claimed that when they went to the police station, constable Sajid Khan thrashed Irfan. “We were not allowed to stay inside the police station. While we were attempting to peep into the room through a window, we saw that Sajid used his elbow to hit Irfan on his back. After they noticed that we were able to see the act, they pulled the curtains. We could hear his screams.”
Sadiq claimed that after the alleged assault, the police let Irfan out to talk with his family about a compromise. Within five minutes, he collapsed. “He was fit and healthy, and collapsed all of a sudden. We found that he had urinated in his pants, and was vomitin incessantly. We immediately took him to a private hospital. They refused to admit him and asked us to shift him to Osmania Hospital.”
Md Imran, another brother of the deceased, told Deccan Chronicle that Irfan was declared dead at the OGH. “They told us that due to the brutal assault by the police, his heart had burst.”
According to the OGH resident medical officer (RMO), Irfan was declared dead on arrival at 11.12 pm. “His brother, Mohammed Sadiq, brought him to the hospital around 11.05 pm, reporting a 30-minute window of unresponsiveness before arrival. Clinical notes indicate no carotid or femoral pulse. Three cycles of CPR were performed. No heart sounds were heard. Pupils were bilaterally dilated and non-reactive to light,” the RMO’s notes read.
Imran claimed that when the incident occurred, there were four constables at the police station, two of them women. “Constable Sajid has been absconding ever since. We were asked to give a complaint but the police have not been allowing us to take any pictures of the complaint copy. They have also not shared the FIR or any details with us. We had even asked for CCTV footage of that room where he was beaten up, but it was denied. We seek justice for our brother.”
According to Rajendranagar Inspector K. Kastro, the claims were false and that Irfan’s death was the result of a heart attack. “The wife of the deceased reached out to us and we counselled the couple. After which we advised them to not maintain further contact. While returning however, he collapsed and turned sub-conscious. When he was shifted to OGH, he was declared dead by doctors,” the police claimed.
