One of the five men arrested with MDMA from Chelari in the district on Monday died in custody at the Tanur police station early on Tuesday.
The police said Thamar Jifri, 30, collapsed at the police station at 4.20 a.m. The police took him to a private hospital at Tanur, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Four cases
The police said that Thamar from Tirurangadi had been involved in four cases, including two drug use cases under Section 27 (b) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985.
The police registered a case for unnatural death. The Crime Branch will investigate the death in custody of Thamar. Narcotic Cell Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy.SP) will investigate the NDPS case in which Thamar and four others were involved. The Special Branch Dy.SP will investigate if there were any procedural lapses on the part of the police.
The Muslim Youth League staged a protest against the police, accusing them of delaying the procedures to thwart the custodial death case. Youth League workers tried to block Tirur Subcollector Sachin Kumar Yadav when he reached the hospital, and grappled with the police who prevented them.
Demanding a comprehensive investigation into the death, Youth League district president Shareef Kuttoor and general secretary Musthafa Abdul Latheef said that it was strongly suspected that the death took place because of police beating.
Quoting the local people, they said that the police had taken Thamar to the hospital after he died at the police station. They also demanded an investigation into why the police took him to a private hospital, instead of a government hospital.
They alleged that government officials, including the tahsildar, reached for follow-up procedures hours after the death. The delay was alleged to have been deliberate with the intention of helping those responsible.
The District Police Chief Sujith Das said that the police followed all procedures stipulated by the Supreme Court as well as the National Human Rights Commission. A magisterial investigation will also take place. He denied the allegations that the police had not informed Thamar’s family about his death.
