20 detained for Sichuan riot sparked by rumour
Trouble sparked by claims that police had beaten a man to death is the mainland's latest case of unrest caused by hearsay
At least 20 people were detained following a riot in Sichuan on Wednesday sparked by rumours that a man had been beaten to death by traffic policemen, state media reported yesterday.
Gan Junyuan , 58, died from a pre-existing medical condition in central Luzhou on Wednesday afternoon, and not because of a scuffle with police, Xinhua reported.
Local officials told a press conference yesterday morning that Gan had refused to move his illegally parked truck at around 5.30pm when asked to do so by two auxiliary traffic policemen and had shouted abuse at them.
The policemen and Gan jostled each other before Gan became ill and yelled that he needed medicine that he kept in his truck, the report said.
Gan's condition worsened after he took the medicine and he was pronounced dead after an ambulance arrived at the scene.
The official version of events was essentially in line with a report in this newspaper yesterday quoting a young woman who witnessed the incident.