Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, Sept 11: Death of a Havelock youth due to alleged torture by a few cops of Havelock Police Station triggered massive unrest at Havelock Island.
Angry islanders pelted stones and bottles at policemen and policemen charged back on the mob, injuring a few islanders. Such was a situation at Havelock No. 3 Market this evening.
The GPRS network of Havelock was jammed to stop spread of photographs of the clash, it is reported.
According to reports available here the matter began when yesterday at around 10.30 pm a villager of Govind Nagar Mr. Amit Das was picked up for drunken driving by a police team. According to reports the police team had tortured the said person and later when the condition of the youth become bad he was handed over to the elder brother of the youth, Mr. Uttam Das.
As per villagers after reaching home slowing the condition of the youth deteriorated further and at 4.00 am. But when family members took the youth to the hospital, he was declared brought dead.
However, police maintained that the Amit Das was not tortured and he was taken to hospital for medical at night and was released on bail. According to police the youth was under heavy influence of liquor and creating nuisance at bazaar and following complaints of public he was picked up by police team.
The death of the youth triggered unrest at Havelock since morning all shops were kept closed and there was a bandh at Havelock Island. People were demanding justice. Residents of Havelock were also angry as all three cops Mr. Naidu, Head Constable and other two constables went underground since morning.
Following reports of protest a team of 27 IRBn Jawans, 3 Head Constables and 24 Constables, were sent to Havelock to maintain law and order. Even the Superintendent of Police of South Andaman reached the spot to control the situation.
The family members were demanding post mortem by a independent agency following which a team of senior doctors were sent to Havelock from Port Blair.
But at around 8.30 pm the mob started attacking police, when the rumour spread among public that the post mortem reports says that cause of death of injury on the head of Amit Das, a fisherman by profession.
According to reports the clash was brought under control at around 9.45 PM.
Meanwhile, tourists suffered a great deal at Havelock because of the sudden bandh. A group of tourists who reached Port Blair this evening said they did not get even water from any shop and had to travel to Port Blair without Lunch.
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