The police claimed the man may have died due to a heart attack. (Representational)
A day after the death of a shopkeeper, allegedly in police custody, the Jammu and Kashmir police has refused to hand over the body to his family, saying a gathering on his funeral could have increased the scope of COVID-19 transmission.
"Had we handed over the body to the family, there was a possibility that thousands would attend his funeral. You can't imagine how this can spread the infection. It was prudent not to hand over the body to the family for public safety," said Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police.
Irfan Ahmad Dar, who ran a grocery and milk shop in Sopore area of north Kashmir, was picked up by police along with his brother on Tuesday afternoon. The family was informed of his death yesterday.
The family, however, accused the police of "stealing" the body of the 24-year-old man, who, they allege, "was tortured to death". They alleged that the police is trying to hide their brutality by not handing over the body to them.
"They invoked COVID-19 to deny us the body. We approached police officials and requested them to handover the body so that we can perform his last rites," said Waheed Ahmad Dar, the brother of Mr Irfan Dar.
"The SHO told us that they don't have permission to handover the body to the family. We feel the only permission they have is to kill an innocent man in their custody and then concoct a story about the manner of death," he added.
Mr Waheed said that he and his family members were taken to Sonmarg in a police vehicle. " I have never been to the area before. It's in a remote and non-descriptive place."
The police claimed Mr Dar may have died due to a heart attack after he "escaped" from their custody on Wednesday night.
"He didn't die in police station. I believe he had a fall and was injured. He may have died due to a cardiac arrest. It could be due to fear or some underlying medical conditions. Doctors can clear that," said Mr Kumar.
The IGP said that police didn't fire at him when he escaped and found the body after searches near a stone quarry.