13-06-2025
Man dies two weeks after arrest in Adelaide as police investigate incident as death in custody
A 42-year-old man has died in an Adelaide hospital in what is being treated as a death in police custody.
Guarav Kundi was arrested in the Adelaide suburb of Royston Park in the early hours of 29 May, according to South Australian police.
Police said he died on Friday at Royal Adelaide hospital, two weeks after the incident.
In a statement, SA police said Kundi's death would be investigated as a death in police custody.
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The major crime investigation branch will investigate the cause and circumstances of his death and prepare a report for the coroner, while the office of public integrity has independent oversight of the investigation into the conduct of police officers involved in the incident.
A commissioner's inquiry into the incident was announced on 3 June, the statement said.
The senior investigating officer conducting the inquiry has reviewed body worn vision.
'It has been confirmed that at no time was a knee applied to Mr Kundi's neck. His head was not forced into the car or roadway at any point,' the statement said.
'However, the use of restraints during this incident will be closely examined during the Commissioner's Inquiry.'
SA police have briefed the Indian consulate on the incident and investigation and will continue to update the consulate on developments.
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The foreign minister, Penny Wong, was asked whether the incident would damage India-Australia relations at a press conference on Friday.
'I would say to the Indian community here in Australia and the broader Indian community, this is an investigation that will be done properly,' Wong said.
'Be assured of our friendship certainly with India, but also the importance of the Indian diaspora here in Australia.'
Anne Aly, the minister for multicultural affairs, said 'trust between people of migrant background and the institutions that govern them, including the police' is 'something that contributes to social cohesion'.
