A 53-year-old man in Kerala’s Ernakulam allegedly died in police custody on Saturday night.

Police said that P Manoharan was detained during a vehicle-checking inspection and was taken to Hill Palace police station in Tripunithura in Ernakulam district, where he collapsed and died on way to the hospital.

However, eyewitnesses and relatives have alleged that Manoharan was brutally assaulted by the cops and was later tortured at the station.

  In connection with the incident, a police sub-inspector was suspended while a crime branch inquiry has been ordered by the state government, said a senior police official.  

According to the eyewitnesses, Manoharan was taken into custody by the police as he did not stop his scooter after police signalled him to stop. They said the police assaulted him and dragged him to the station.