A doctor, arrested by police three days ago for interrogation in connection with the illegal termination of 7-month old pregnancy of a minor SC girl belonging to the Konam village, Chidikala mandal in Visakhapatnam district, died during the wee hours of Sunday in police custody.

Police said he died of cardiac arrest and his two sons were there when their father suffered heart attack and died.
Retired government doctor K. Tirupaiah, 65, was accused of terminating the pregnancy of the 10th class girl (name withheld) who was studying at the APSW Residential School for girls at Konam village.
The doctor was arrested on Saturday night by police along with two persons of her village in Devarapalle mandal for sexually abusing her. Police said they had taken him to the Chodavaram Government hospital for treatment for heart attack but he died there around 3 am on Sunday.
However, Registered Medical Practitioners of Chodavaram alleged that the doctor was killed because of police torture. The doctors also staged a dharna at the hospital raising slogans against the police.

Since the doctor had died, the police are unable to get concrete evidence against the two persons arrested who the girl said had abused her sexually. (J)