Protests erupt after Odisha man held in narcotics case dies in Haryana police custody

A man detained in a narcotics case died in Haryana Police’s custody in Odisha’s Malkangiri town, triggering protests by his family and local residents, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

According to the people, a team from Hansi police station picked up the 22-year-old man on charges of smuggling drugs on Sunday night and took him to a lodge in Malkangiri. His body was found in the hotel on Monday morning.

The deceased’s family alleged that the police beat him to death and tried to pass it off as a suicide. The man’s death sparked tension in the area, with protesters burning tyres, blocking National Highway 326 and surrounding the Malkangiri police station, demanding the arrest of Haryana police personnel.

“We want to know why they kept him in a lodge instead of a local police station. If they could not establish his involvement, they should have released him after proper verification,” said Sameer Sarkar, a resident of MV-65 village.

Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Vinod Patil said an unnatural death case had been registered and an investigation was underway to establish the exact cause of death. “The body has been recovered and sent for postmortem. Further action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation,” Patil said.