Police denied bail over custody death

A court in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has rejected a petition for bail for five police officers alleged to have been implicated in the death of a person in custody.

The court ruled that there was no reason to agree to bail for the police commissioner of the city of Vijaywada and four other officers.

The court asked the police commissioner to appear before a local magistrate and then seek a bail.

The police officers had filed the petition after a court had issued a warrant against them earlier this month, following the death of a man in their police station.

He had been arrested in connection with the murder of the leader of a governing regional party.

The police had said the suspect was shot dead when he tried to escape from custody.

A relative of the dead man alleges that he was killed deliberately by the police.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service