BEIJING (AFP) — Twenty-four people have been held over the killing of a man in central China that has reignited calls to abolish the agency whose staff were allegedly involved in the death, state press reported Wednesday.
Wei Wenhua was beaten to death on Monday by a group that included Tianmen city inspectors in Hubei province after he filmed them attacking local residents, the People's Daily newspaper said.
Wei, who had been passing by, was beaten unconscious by several inspectors of the local "Urban Management" bureau or "Chengguan", and died on the way to hospital, the paper said.
The incident has been reported widely throughout China and elicited widespread anger in Internet chatrooms. Among those being investigated in connection with the case is the bureau's chief.
The civilian inspectors, who are employed to enforce a range of local ordinances against things such as illegal street peddling and begging, have been criticised nationwide for using excessive force in the past.
The confrontation on Monday stemmed from residents' anger about a rubbish dump they felt was too close to their homes, according to various reports.
They believed it would be removed by the end of December and confronted Urban Management staff at the site Monday. A clash followed, with several residents being beaten.
Wei, the general manager of a local waterworks construction company, captured the clash on his mobile phone camera, provoking the inspectors to react, the reports said. Of the 24 people being held the People's Daily did not say how many were city inspectors.
Xinhua news agency later reported that formal charges have been brought against four people linked to the case, while up to 100 are being investigated, including Qi Zhangjun, head of the Tianmen Administration Bureau.
An autopsy has also been carried out on Wei's body to determine the exact cause of death, it added.
In an online poll posted by popular Chinese portal Sohu.com after the incident, 92 percent of 34,335 respondents on Wednesday said the agency should be abolished.
Many alleged it was routinely abused by city officials to oppress citizens.
"This agency has operated illegally since its implementation. They are like bandits," one respondent said.
The city inspectors sparked a violent riot by about 2,000 people in the central city of Zhengzhou last June after they beat a female college student who was selling items on the street.
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