By IANS,
Kolkata: Local residents pelted stones at a police station in West Bengal’s Hooghly district Saturday after a Trinamool Congress worker allegedly died in police custody.
“We have received a first information report about the death of Kazi Naseeruddin during his custody under the Dhaniakhali police station and have initiated an investigation as per the guidelines of Human Rights Commission in this regard,” said Hooghly’s Superintendent of Police Tanmay Roychaudhury.
After the news of the alleged custodial death spread, locals surrounded the police station and pelted stones and bricks on the police, who carried out a baton-charge to disperse the crowd.
“A few policemen received injuries when the locals threw stones at them. The situation is now under control. Whether it death was caused due to beating can only known after the post mortem,” added Roychaudhury.
The Congress called the death a “pre-planned murder” which was rubbished by Trinamool Congress.
“Naseeruddin was disenchanted with Trinamool and was thinking of quitting it. He has been killed in pre-planned manner by his own party men,” Congress leader Abdul Mannan said.
Rubbishing Mannan’s claim, local Trinamool legislator Ashima Patra said the death was due to “natural causes and police had no hand in his death”.
According to locals, Naseeruddin was arrested late Friday night in Dhaniakhali, some 60 km from Kolkata. He was allegedly beaten by the cops all the way to the police station.
“When we went to the police station in the morning he was lying naked and motionless. Arround 10 policemen were standing around him. Later he was declared dead when taken to a hospital,” said Sabeer Ali, a relative of the victim.
A huge number of police personnel including senior officers are at the spot to control the situation.