Congolese man’s death in Bengaluru: Karnataka orders CID probe

A fight broke out between Bengaluru police and protesting African nationals after alleged custodial death of a Congolese national in the state capital on early Monday (August 2) morning. The JC Nagar police have arrested five people for disturbing law and order.

Police Inspector Munikrishna said that Joel Shindani Malu, 27, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was detained around 1 am on Monday on the charge of possessing narcotic substances. Around 4 am, Joel complained of chest pain and was taken to the hospital where he died of cardiac arrest, say the police, who added that Joel was accompanied by another person, who fled the spot.

The Karnataka Crime Investigation Department (CID) is probing Joel’s death.

A police station officer emphasised that Joel died in the hospital and not on the police station premises. He had overstayed in the country as his visa expired in 2017, the officer said.

Joel’s friend refuted the police version. He said Joel was arrested on false charges. Several African nationals joined hands to stage a demonstration outside the police station on Monday afternoon to condemn the incident. The police used batons to disperse the protesters and wielded lathis after one of the protesters attacked police personnel.

The five arrested men were produced in the court on Tuesday and sent to police custody.

Members of the African community residing in Bengaluru have repeatedly appealed authorities not to imprison citizens from African countries without proof. They allege that they are routinely detained over “fabricated” charges of drug peddling and face discrimination.

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Bosco Kawessi, president of Pan-African Federation and Students’ Union and legal advisor to the community, said, “Joel’s post-mortem report will tell the truth. However, I admit the protesters took the law into their hands and provoked the police. For now, we can take the police version at its face value. But the medical report will tell the truth.”

Kawessi said the protesters went overboard. “If they had a problem with the arrest, they should have approached the embassy or taken it in a legal way or met the Commissioner of Police to air their grievances. One of the persons arrested was drunk too,” he added.

The Federal sent emails to the Congo Embassy in New Delhi, but did not elicit any response.

Kawessi said there are 5,000 African nationals living in Bengaluru alone. “Out of this, if 10 people create problem, one cannot blame the entire community. The police should deal with the facts of the case and not make arrests without evidence,” he said.