Karnataka: 25 people arrested at Davangere police station for alleged death in custody

As many as 25 people were arrested in Karnataka's Davangere district for vandalizing a police station and pelting stones at policemen, alleging custodial death. According to police, all the arrested accused are residents of Channagiri and neighboring towns.

The trouble began when a mob entered the Channagiri police station and started pelting stones, alleging that a man named Adil, who had been summoned for questioning by the police, had died inside the station . The crowd accused the police of killing Adil.

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Adil, 30, was arrested on May 24 for his alleged involvement in gambling activities in the district. According to initial reports, police said Adil's death was due to low blood pressure, although autopsy reports are awaited.

Police noted that there were no injury marks on Adil's body and that he collapsed five minutes after entering the police station.

Davangere SP Uma Prashanth confirmed the arrests saying, “We have arrested 25 people in connection with yesterday's Channagiri case and taken them into judicial custody.”

Prashanth also said that the case would be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

As news of the man's death spread, his relatives and a large group of people went on a rampage, damaging police vehicles and throwing stones at the station, claiming he had died in custody.

To disperse the crowd, the police resorted to a lathi charge. Several police officers were injured during the attack and more than five police vehicles were damaged by stones thrown by the crowd.