Kerala Muslim man dies in police custody, family alleges custodial torture
New Delhi : A 29-year-old Muslim man, Siyad, died in a Kerala hospital after allegedly being brutally assaulted by police while in custody in Kollam district of Indian state of Kerala.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Siyad, a private bus driver from Kundara, was taken into custody by Kundara police following a complaint about a missing 13-year-old boy. He was released the next morning after the boy returned home. The family said Siyad was assaulted inside the police jeep immediately after being detained. “I was inside the jeep when Siyad was beaten. He cried out in pain while he was being assaulted,” the complainant who filed the missing report told media.
Siyad’s parents, Badrudeen and Arifa Beevi, said their son told them he was brutally beaten after being mistaken for someone else. He had no prior health issues but could not even drink water for eight days after the alleged assault.
Doctors at Kollam District Hospital found fractured ribs on X-ray for chest pain. He later developed a severe lung infection linked to the injuries and was shifted to Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, where he died on ventilator support.
The District Crime Branch has registered a case and is investigating. The family described Siyad as the sole breadwinner with no criminal antecedents and demanded dismissal and prosecution of the police personnel involved.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) staged a protest outside Kundara police station demanding action. CPI-M Central Committee member and MLA K.N. Balagopal termed the incident “a disturbing reflection of the direction in which Kerala’s policing was headed.”
