Cuttack, Dec. 12: An inquiry was ordered into the death of a 44-year-old man who was allegedly in police custody at Narsinghpur police station yesterday.

The deceased, Akula Senapati of Malisahi village, in Narsinghpur police limits died yesterday around 9pm at the intensive care unit of SCB Medical College and Hospital. His family members alleged that the police had tortured him.

Superintendent of police, Cuttack (rural), Madhab Chandra Sahoo has ordered a probe in the case by an official of the rank of a deputy superintendent. The villagers, however, have demanded for a crime branch or a judicial probe into the incident.

Senapati's family alleged that a team of Narsinghpur police had picked up Akula on December 9 from his house following a complaint filed by a woman for allegedly assaulting her.

According to Senapati's family he was brutally beaten up and tortured by officers at the Narsinghpur police station. He was taken to the Narsinghpur community health centre and later shifted to SCB.

A family member of Senapati said Akula and the woman, who had filed the case against him, had a conversation over cattle grazing. The woman got hurt in the eye after Akula, who was holding a stick, hit her by mistake on December 6, he said.

A source said the deceased was mentally unstable and his wife and children had left him a few years ago.

"The police had dragged Akula out of his home and beaten him. We were informed after he was admitted at the hospital yesterday," said Senapati's brother-in-law Ranjan Nayak.

Senapati's family members today lodged a police complaint against the inspector in charge and other officials of Narsinghpur police station at Mangalabag police station.

"We want action against those police officers for the torture and subsequent death of my brother," said Senapati's sister Nabani Senapati.

Sahoo said preliminary investigation revealed that one assistant sub-inspector along with others officials had traced Akula, who was hiding in an under-construction house.

"Akula was not brought to the police station. He had violently attacked the police personnel who had gone to get him to the police station. A detailed probe will be conducted into the incident," Sahoo said.

Considering the tension at Malisahi over the incident, three platoons of police force have been deployed at Narsinghpur police station.

On December 7, a 68-year-old man had died under mysterious circumstances a few hours after Kishannagar police picked him for his alleged involvement in raping two children.

The deceased was identified as Gunanidhi Nayak of Gosanipatna village under Manijanga gram panchayat. Nayak's family members had also alleged that he died because of police excesses.