A 40-year-old remand prisoner, who was arrested by the Jeeyapuram police on charges of transporting liquor allegedly for illegal sale on Thursday, died on Saturday after being lodged in the Central Prison here.
Police sources said the accused Dravida Mani was held by the Jeeyapuram police when he was allegedly transporting a couple of boxes containing liquor on a two-wheeler to sell them illegally. He was subsequently arrested and lodged in the Central Prison here after a case was booked against him at the Jeeyapuram police station.
According to the police, Dravida Mani, a resident of Gandhi Nagar in Palur, fainted in the prison on Saturday evening. He was immediately rushed to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi where the doctor declared him dead. The K.K. Nagar police have registered a case under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Nyaya Sanhita on a complaint from a Prison Officer.
The death of Dravida Mani triggered protest by his family and friends in front of the government hospital on Saturday night and again on Sunday morning. Family members suspected foul play alleging that he died after being assaulted by the police.
The family members resorted to a “road roko” at MGR roundabout near Cantonment in the city on Sunday evening. They dispersed without receiving the body after the Revenue Divisional Officer, Tiruchi, and the police held talks with them.
The protesters demanded a government job for the wife of Dravida Mani and wanted the government to fund education of his three children. Police sources said the autopsy was completed and the body had been kept in the mortuary.
Published – September 29, 2024 08:14 pm IST
