Police sources said reinforcements have been sent to the area (File)
A man died in central Assam's Nagaon district this evening, allegedly due to police beating during lockdown hours. Carrying his body, an angry mob surrounded the police station and held a protest. They threw stones in which several police vehicles were partially damaged. The police used batons and fired in the air to disperse the crowd.
Rupahihat area, where it happened, is extremely tense. Police sources said reinforcements have been sent to the area.
The police claimed that illegal betting was going on in at a village, Gareki, under the Rupahihat subdivision. When the police raided the area, the men ran. One of them fell in a water body and died.
"As per preliminary information, the officer in charge of Rupahihat police station received information that some people are involved in betting and gambling despite curfew," Anand Mishra, the district police chief, told NDTV.
"The police team went to the place and the people starting running. During the chase, one of them fell in a pond and died," Mr Mishra said, adding that investigations are on.
Locals alleged that the police had come for routine patrol and when they found the men violating lockdown, beat them brutally. The men were playing cricket at the time, they said. This, they said, is another instance of police brutality.
The dead man has been identified as Sohaib Akhtar, a resident of Gareki village.
"The youth, along with others, was playing cricket in a field at Gareki. Suddenly, a police patrolling team came and started beating them up. One of them was injured during the clash and died due to injury," said a villager.
The young man was rushed to the hospital in Rupahihat for further treatment, but he died due to his injuries.
"The police brutally hit him on the head with the butt of a gun. They were just playing cricket. The youth died due to police brutality. We need justice for him," said one of men who later joined the protest outside the police station.