More details emerged yesterday of the suspicious death of a village chief who fought against illegal land requisitions, with villagers saying more than 1,000 police were deployed to retrieve his body after an angry stand-off with residents.
Qian Yunhui, the 53-year-old former chief of Zhaiqiao village in Yueqing , Zhejiang , was hit and killed by a heavy truck just a few hundred metres from his home on Christmas Day. His head and body were separated by the vehicle, driven by a man without a licence.
At a Yueqing police press conference on Sunday, Qian's death was attributed to a 'simple traffic accident' but many internet users believe he was murdered.
The Southern Metropolis News quoted villagers as saying that dozens of residents had tried to protect the scene of his death and refused to allow police to take Qian's body away, but the authorities quickly deployed more than 1,000 police, crushing their resistance.
'Villagers believed the police should investigate whether the hit-and-run death was a traffic accident or a murder case, and have refused to allow policemen to remove the body from the scene,' the newspaper said.
'More than 300 police with shields and electric batons were sent to the scene after villagers clashed with policemen and injured five officers. The police were soon reinforced to more than 1,000 within two hours and took Qian's body away.'