Chennai, February 21 A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the death of a 29-year-old man who was taken into custody for questioning, police said on Saturday, even as the victim's family and a human rights activist claimed he was subjected to police torture.
The Punithan, who was picked up by the Sankar Nagar police, under the Tambaram Commissionerate, in connection with a recent theft case.
Henry Tiphagne, Executive Director of the human rights organization "People's Watch," claimed that Punithan's brother was informed days later that the man was unwell, and that his death was confirmed by a government hospital in the city on the same day.
The family staged a protest at the hospital, alleging police torture. Officials said that the body was handed over to the family after the post-mortem examination.
Tiphagne also claimed that Punithan, who belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, was subjected to "brutal torture."
When contacted, officials of the Sankar Nagar police station attributed the death to medical causes.
Police sources said that a judicial inquiry has been ordered into the matter.