Kathua/Jammu, Feb 7 (PTI) Hundreds of protesters on Monday blocked a railway track for over two hours in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district, demanding registration of an FIR into the mysterious death of a 35-year-old man in a police lockup in nearby Kathua district, officials said.

Authorities in Kathua district have already ordered a magisterial probe into the death of Sunil Verma, who was found hanging by his muffler inside the washroom at Hiranagar police station of Kathua early Sunday.

Also Read | Here Are The 10 Main Issues on Which PM Narendra Modi Lambasted Congress in Parliament.

Three policemen were placed under suspension and the station house officer (SHO) of the police station concerned was attached to the district police lines as the police also ordered a separate departmental inquiry following massive protest by relatives of the deceased.

As the body of Verma was handed over to his family at Tapyal village of Samba for last rites after completion of legal formalities on Monday, a protest broke out against his "custodial death" and the villagers also blocked the railway track demanding an impartial probe and registration of a murder case.

Also Read | COVID-19 Guidelines for Assembly Elections 2022.

"The body bore visible third degree torture marks indicating that he had not committed suicide but was murdered in custody," Dharamveer, an uncle of the deceased, said, demanding registration of a murder case against the police officers concerned.

However, the protesters later dispersed and performed the last rites of the deceased on the assurance of senior police and civil officers who rushed to the scene to maintain law and order.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)