A 44 year old man from Nakonde,Eliya Sinkala who was recently detained by police was reported dead not long after.Mr Sinkala’s relatives collected the body for burial but after postmortem, they went with it to the police station demanding that whoever killed their relative in the cells be released so that they could bury him together with their relative.
The group of mourners comprising mainly of the dead suspect’s family went on rampage throwing missiles at the police station and stoning vehicles before blocking one of Nakonde’s main streets. Several window panes at the police station were broken though no casualties were recorded.Two police vehicles including a private saloon car had their windshields shattered.
Police fired teargas canisters to disperse the missile throwing mob that descended on the police station demanded justice for the deceased suspect.
Police rounded up and arrested the 44 mourners following the riot.
Muchinga deputy police chief Chileje Nyirenda confirmed the riot and arrests that followed the fracas.
“Police had arrested Eliya Sinkala, 44, but he was beaten by fellow inmates. When officers heard the commotion they rushed to the deceased’s rescue but he was pronounced dead at the hospital,” Mr Nyirenda said.
Mr Nyirenda appealed for calm among Mr Sinkala’s family as police had launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death.
It is becoming too much of deaths in prisons and police custody. There is no way one will be beaten up in the police costudy and dies in the presence of the Police Officers on duty. This is worrying.
He has been murdered! justice for him he had rights just like all of us, therefore, i expect the government to get to the bottom of this, no matter what he did, he didnt deserve to be robbed off his life in this manner. Lastly Namwangas can be evil they kill without remorse!
If it has been established that he was beaten by fellow inmates, then what are you going to investigate? Stupid! We do not know who to fear: the thieves or the police. This same Nyirenda goes around asking for cuts from whatever bribes the police take from those who have an encounter with the law. Dirty thing. What baffles me is that the man was reported to VSU by the wife and what he was doing with criminals remains a mystery. I know for a fact that the man was killed by the police. The residents even know the name of the policeman who killed Eliya Sinkala. Does Stella Libongani want us to take up arms and fight our own police force before she can institute reforms? It will be easy to wipe them out: most of them are alcoholics and the remainder are dying with STIs.
Very sad indeed.
On a side note, the deceased was 44 years old, and the police apprehended 44 mourners.
bring back death sentence
“Police had arrested Eliya Sinkala, 44, but he was beaten by fellow inmates. When officers heard the commotion they rushed to the deceased’s rescue but he was pronounced dead at the hospital,” Mr Nyirenda said.
Mr Nyirenda appealed for calm among Mr Sinkala’s family as police had launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death.
If police are really investigating this matter then it should not even take them a day to know the culprites.They already have them in custody so this should be very simple job for them.And if they are really proffessional as is expected of them,no one should be released from that cell for the sake of getting facts in place.This should be simple pouridge job for the police.Atmost,in a week results should be in place.Simple.
Truth be said this is a clear case of negligence on the part of the police and these occurances are an everyday thing in the prisons where inmates are often raped and abused by other inmates with the full knowledge of the warders. We need to see more cases like this to be heard by the courts of law and where officers be they from the prison or police service are found responsible for not preventing such acts they should as well be given lengthly custodial sentences with hard labour to act as a lesson to other officers. I pray the DPP and Atorney General look into these matters.