Hours after he was summoned to a police station for counselling in a marital dispute, a 35-year-old autorickshaw driver in Hyderabad died on Tuesday night, leading his family to allege that he was subjected to police brutality. The police denied the allegations and said that he had died of a cardiac arrest.
The police identified the deceased as Mohammed Irfan. According to the police, he was summoned to the Rajendranagar police station for counselling on Tuesday after his wife Nishad Begum alleged that he was in an extramarital relationship with another woman. Begum told the police they had been married for 10 years, had three children, and stayed near Gandipet.
“The deceased was allegedly in an illicit relationship with a married woman, leading to repeated disputes. Despite the elders’ mediation, the deceased expressed a desire to marry the said woman, worsening the situation,” Ch Srinivas, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rajendranagar zone), said.
Begum and her family visited the woman’s house to counsel her on Tuesday afternoon, DCP Srinivas added. “Following a quarrel, both Irfan and the woman were brought to the police station around 9 pm by their family members for counselling. The police counselled both parties and advised them against maintaining further contact,” he said, after which Irfan allegedly collapsed suddenly and fell unconscious while returning home.
According to Irfan’s brother, Mohammed Sadiq, Irfan was inside the police station till 10.30 pm. “When he came out, he started vomiting and collapsed on the ground. He had urinated in his pants. We rushed him to a private hospital, where doctors referred us to Osmania General Hospital. Doctors there pronounced him dead,” said Sadiq.
Speaking to the media outside the hospital on Wednesday, Sadiq alleged that the police used “third-degree” on his brother at Begum’s behest. “My brother’s wife asked the policemen to beat him. We could hear his cries outside the station. We were not allowed inside while he was getting beaten up,” he alleged.
An official from Rajendranagar police, however, maintained that Irfan died of a cardiac arrest and was not subjected to any brutality while at the police station.
Sadiq further alleged that Begum’s family approached the police even as Irfan was seeking a compromise with his wife. “We want justice for my brother. He was a healthy and fit man,” Sadiq added.
The deceased hailed from Mysuru. After the postmortem examination, Irfan’s body was handed over to his family, who left for Mysuru.
The Rajendranagar police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which deals with procedures for police officers when handling cases of unnatural deaths.
