Police beat man to death in India for venturing out during lockdown

A youth died after police allegedly baton-charged him for violating the ongoing lockdown in India enforced to prevent the spread of COVID 19 (c0ronavirus disease), ARY News reported on Friday.

32-year-old Lal Swami, the slain youth’s family claims that he had gone out to buy milk when the police beat him up in West Bengal”s Howrah district.

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However, the Deputy Commissioner (south) of Howrah City Police Raju Mukherjee denied any baton charge by the police and said the deceased was ailing and passed away due to cardiac arrest.

Lal Swami was declared dead at a local hospital on Wednesday.

Read More: Worldwide coronavirus death toll surpasses 24,000

Coronavirus cases in India jumped to 724. The country has reported 17 casualties so far.

More than three billion people around the world were living under lockdown on Friday as governments stepped up their efforts against the coronavirus pandemic which has left more than 24,000 people dead.

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In Spain, the number of fatalities surpassed those of China, where the novel coronavirus first emerged three months ago, making it the hardest-hit nation after Italy.

A total of more than 24,000 deaths have now been reported in 199 countries and territories.