By Maktoob
A 29-year-old man died following alleged custodial torture in Kerala’s Kollam district, with his family alleging that he was brutally assaulted by police after being taken into custody, suffering fractured ribs that later led to a severe lung infection.
Siyad, a private bus driver from Kundara, died on Saturday while undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram after sustaining fractured ribs and a severe lung infection.
His family has alleged that the injuries were inflicted during police custody, while the case is being investigated by the District Crime Branch.
Police detained him on the night of June 16 following a complaint that a neighbouring 13-year-old boy was missing.
He was released the next morning after the boy returned home.
The complainant, whose missing person complaint led to Siyad being taken into custody by the Kundara police, alleged that Civil Police Officer (CPO) Sreejith began assaulting him immediately after he was made to board the police jeep.
“I was inside the jeep when Siyad was beaten. He cried out in pain while he was being assaulted,” she alleged.
Siyad’s parents, Badrudeen and Arifa Beevi, also alleged that their son had told them he was brutally beaten inside the police vehicle after being mistaken for someone else.
According to the family, Siyad had no prior health issues but was unable to even drink water for eight days following the alleged assault.
The family said doctors at Kollam District Hospital found that Syad had suffered fractured ribs after an X-ray was taken for chest pain.
They alleged that he later developed a severe lung infection linked to the injuries and was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, where he died while on ventilator support.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.