Kolkata man dies following police station visit, family alleges torture

Kolkata, Nov 15 (PTI) A middle-aged man died on Wednesday after being called at Amherst Street police station in Kolkata in connection with theft of a mobile phone, with his family alleging he was tortured.

Police, however, maintained he had a sudden bout of seizure and collapsed.

The man, identified as Ashok Kumar Singh, a native of Bihar residing on Patuatola Lane in Kolkata, was declared "brought dead" after being taken to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital.

Following Singh's death, his family members staged a protest outside Amherst Street police station and blockaded College Street, affecting road traffic for at least an hour.

A huge police contingent was sent to the spot, and after being assured of proper investigation into Singh's death, they lifted the blockade.

A relative of the deceased said, "He was summoned by the police and asked to bring with him the phone he was using. He went inside Amherst Street police station and my wife, who was his niece, was waiting outside." "After some time, we found him lying on the floor with blood oozing out of his nose. He was not responding and when we took him to the hospital, he was declared brought dead," he said.

Police, however, denied he was beaten up at the police station and claimed Singh had a sudden bout of seizure and collapsed on the floor.

"There was no incident of any beating... he experienced a sudden bout of seizure and collapsed on the ground," a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

"We will, however, investigate the matter and go through CCTV footage. We are awaiting post-mortem examination report. We have to be sure that the man had no diseases, which could also be the cause of his death," he told PTI.

His family members have lodged a police complaint with the Amherst Street police station over the incident. PTI