Kuala Lumpur  - A Malaysian police officer was charged Thursday with beating an ethnic Indian detainee who later died in custody.

Constable Vivekanandan Navindran pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing grievous hurt to Ananthan Kugan, who was detained on suspicion of car theft but died six days later while still in police custody in January.

Navindran was accused of beating Kugan, 22, with a rubber hose to try to force a confession from him, the Star online news portal reported.

An autopsy commissioned by Kugan's family showed he was tortured and beaten to death, but a government-ordered independent panel concluded that he had died of a viral infection of the heart.

The case sparked an outcry over alleged police brutality, especially against ethnic Indians, who make up about 10 per cent of the country's 28 million people but are the largest ethnic group under the poverty line.

Navindran, who was freed on bail, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The judge set November 5 for the trial. (dpa)