New Delhi:
In a bizarre turn of events, a 35-year-old man, who tried to intervene in a road-side scuffle between a couple and the police at northeast Delhi's Nand Nagri area, died in mysterious circumstances.
The deceased, identified as Shanu Shahnawaz Chaudhary, was riding with his wife, Mamta, when they noticed a couple fighting on the road yesterday, DCP (northeast) Veenu Bansal said.
The couple, Shamsad and Farha, were fighting near the Gagan Cinema traffic signal, with a huge crowd surrounding the duo, she said.
Farha had reportedly called the police alleging domestic violence by her husband, police said.
According to the police, things went wrong after Farha sat inside the PCR van, asking the cops to take her and Shamsad to the police station, while Shahnawaz Chaudhary started to force Farha to de-board.
This led to a heated argument between Chaudhary and the police, who objected to his intervention, and the argument soon turned violent, DCP Bansal said.
Soon, an emergency response vehicle (ERV) rushed to the spot and both the couples were asked to come with the cops to the Nand Nagri police station. While Shamsad and Farha sat inside the PCR van, Chaudhary and Mamta were asked to board the ERV.
"During the journey, Chaudhary complained about feeling nauseatic, which intensified within a few minutes. After dropping his wife at the police station, the ERV headed directly towards GTB hospital, where Chaudhary died during treatment," said the DCP.
"The cause of his death can only be ascertained once the postmortem report is obtained," she said, ruling out any form of assault on part of the police.
However, Chaudhary's wife has alleged that her husband's death was due to police torture.
The police have claimed that Chaudhary was in an inebriated state when the incident took place.
During investigation, it also emerged that the deceased was out on parole. He was sent to jail around four months ago in connection with a criminal case, said Bansal, adding that the police have taken up judicial inquest in the case.
However, no FIR has so far been registered in connection with the incident.