Patna: Tension gripped Arwal district on Tuesday after a 45-year-old man, who had been apprehended by the excise department on allegations of consuming alcohol, died while in custody at the Arwal excise police station. The incident triggered protests by his family and local residents, who accused police personnel of assaulting him inside the lockup and demanded strict action against those responsible.The deceased was identified as Anil Kumar alias Tuntun, a resident of Haibatpur village under Rampur Chauram police station area. According to officials, he was taken into custody by an excise team on Monday evening for allegedly consuming alcohol and was lodged in the excise police station lockup.Late that night, the family was informed that Anil’s health had deteriorated and that he had been shifted to Arwal Sadar Hospital. By the time his relatives reached the hospital, doctors had declared him dead.The death sparked outrage among family members and villagers, who first protested at the excise police station before blocking the Patna-Aurangabad National Highway (NH-139) near Bhagat Singh Chowk. The blockade, which continued for nearly an hour, disrupted traffic and led to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the highway.SDPO Kumar Sanjay and Sadar police station chief D Chaudhary reached the spot and held talks with the protesters before persuading them to withdraw the road blockade. There was also brief pushing and shoving between police personnel and agitated protesters during the demonstration.The victim’s relatives alleged that Anil was subjected to severe physical assault while in custody. Police, however, denied drawing any conclusion about the cause of death at this stage, stating that the exact reason would be known only after the postmortem. The SDPO said the matter is under investigation and further action will be taken based on the findings of the postmortem report and inquiry.
