Malappuram: A 36-year-old man called in by the Pandikkad police for interrogation has died at a private hospital on Tuesday. Moitheenkutty (36), a Kadambott native near Panthalloor, was admitted to the hospital after he showed physical discomfort at the police station during questioning.

He was called into the police station as part of the investigation into the clashes at Panthalloor during a temple festival. Moitheenkutty collapsed at the police station and cops rushed him to a private hospital at Perinthalmanna. He died on Tuesday morning while undergoing treatment.

The relatives have alleged custodial torture caused the death and claimed that the Pandikkad Station House Officer hit his face. No complaint has been filed against Moitheenkutty. Relatives also claimed that he had informed police about his heart ailment.

But police claimed that they had not caused any physical harm to the deceased. “There was a fight between two groups during a festival in the Panthalloor area on March 10. They also manhandled the on-duty police there. So I asked officers to bring the people involved in the fight to the station. Moitheenkutty was one of them and he reached the station on Monday around 4.15 pm.

“He had shown some physical difficulties from the beginning and we shifted him to a nearby hospital. He showed his medical history related to cardiac problems, blood pressure and diabetes to the doctors. He was stable at that time and we moved him to a super speciality hospital soon from there. It is there doctors discovered three major blocks in the heart," Pandikkad SHO told Onmanorama.

Moitheenkutty underwent critical care treatment in the hospital but could not be saved. The body was shifted to Manjeri Medical College Hospital for postmortem.

The Congress party led by DCC President V S Joy staged a protest in front of the station demanding action against the cops involved in the death.