Labourer dies; friend says cops beat him for flouting lockdown

Mumbai, Apr 19 () A labourer died after returninghome in Mumbai's Dongri area on Saturday night, followingwhich his roommate alleged that the victim was beaten bypolice for violating the coronavirus-enforced lockdown.

However, the police denied the allegation and said thelabourer died due to a heart ailment.

The J J Marg police have registered an accidentaldeath report in the matter.

Victim Sagir Jamil Khan's roommate claimed that afterreturning home on Saturday night, Khan told him that while hewas driving a handcart to deliver a refrigerator in Null Bazarlocality, the police caught hold of him at Phoolwali Galli inDongri and thrashed him on head, hand and back.

Later, while having dinner, Khan suddenly collapsed.He was then rushed to a hospital where doctors declared himdead, his roommate told reporters.

However, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 1,Sangramsingh Nishandar told that Khans medical reportshowed the cause of death as 'heart enlargement', and therewas no external or internal injury on the body.

"The CCTV footage of the street shows him passing byat quite a distance from the spot where there was policenakabandi. The allegations against police are false andbaseless," he said.

But, the viscera will be sent for a medicalexamination and the body will be handed over to his relativesfor last ties, the official said.

Last month also, relatives of labourer Raju VeluDevendra alleged that he was beaten to death by policepersonnel enforcing the lockdown in Nehru Nagar area.

However, police refuted the allegations and claimedthe deceased was lynched by residents of the area while he wasattempting a robbery.

The police had then registered a case against eightpeople for murder and rioting. ZAGK GK