Tue, May 13 08:01 PM
LUCKNOW, India (AP) _ Hundreds of angry lawyers in northern India torched a bus and damaged other vehicles after a lawyer serving time for contempt of court died in custody Tuesday. S.K. Awasthi, 45, was sentenced to serve one month in prison for contempt of court by a judge in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh state.
He died in a state-run hospital after serving 10 days in prison, local police officer Piyush Srivastav said. Awasthi complained about feeling unwell Monday night and was taken to the hospital by jail officials, Srivastav said.
He gave no other details. A representative of the Allahabad Bar Association told The Associated Press, however, the lawyers believe Awasthi was beaten in prison and that is what caused his death.
"That's why he fell unconscious and died without gaining consciousness," lawyer Chotey Lal Pandey said. Angry lawyers took to the streets, setting fire to one bus and damaging two others, Srivastav said.
The lawyers demanded that Awasthi's family be compensated and that the state government investigate his death, Pandey said.
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