A police sub-inspector has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a trader to death during roadside questioning in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur on Tuesday night, The Indian Express reported.

The person accused in the matter, Sub-Inspector Manikant Srivastava, was in charge of the Bandiya police outpost in Sitapur, according to the report.

The newspaper quoted Sitapur Circle Officer Kapoor Kumar as saying that Srivastava was arrested on charges of culpable homicide.

The 26-year-old trader named Satyapal Yadav was taken to a hospital late on Tuesday night with serious injuries, The Indian Express quoted the police as saying. The man died the next day.

A post-mortem report showed injury marks on his body. The viscera samples were preserved for forensic tests as the cause of death could not be determined.

His family has alleged that the police officer assaulted him under the pretext of questioning him for roaming in the area at night.

The family and residents of the area also blocked a road in protest and demanded action against the officer allegedly involved in the matter.

A first information report was filed against Srivastava and another police constable under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the newspaper reported.

According to the preliminary inquiry, police teams had been patrolling and questioning persons in “suspicious circumstances” amid recent reports of burglary in the Sidhauli area.

The Indian Express quoted Station House Officer Balwant Shahi as saying that the 26-year-old trader was allegedly drunk and was moving around suspiciously when the police stopped him for questioning.