Vedan, a construction worker, died during the wee hours of Sunday, July 16, upon returning to his place of residence from the police station. According to reports, M Kallupatti station’s police officers who were on rounds at night spotted Vedan when he was returning from watching a film in the theatre. Vedan was then taken to the police station where an inquiry was conducted following which the police let him go. Vedan returned home around 3 am and went to bed and eventually died in his sleep, relatives said. They alleged that his death was caused due to police brutality and demanded a probe.

Vedan was rushed to the Usilampatti Government Hospital but the doctors declared that he was brought dead. According to media reports, his relatives were arguing with police officers outside the hospital. Usilampatti DSP Nallu reached the hospital and promised Vedan’s family that the department would initiate a probe, following which the argument died down, reports said. However, the police have not provided a statement yet.

The post-mortem will be held at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai and the report will be used to ascertain if the death was caused by any kind of physical harm.

Under similar circumstances, Sridhar, a native of Chennai, died last Thursday. The MGR Nagar police in the state’s capital had sent him home after an inquiry. Shortly after reaching home, Sridhar complained of a burning sensation in his chest and was rushed to a hospital where he died. In Sridhar’s case, the post-mortem found no injuries.

In the last year, two others had also died under similar circumstances in Chennai.