Adelaide Father Dies After Arrest, SA Police Deny ‘Knee On Neck’

Modbury North resident Gaurav Kundi (42) with his family.

Adelaide-based Gaurav Kundi (42), who became unresponsive after he was arrested by South Australia police last month, has died. Kundi, who was admitted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, died on Friday, June 13, 2025. 

South Australian police commissioner Grant Stevens has rejected his wife Amritpal Kaur’s allegations that police placed a knee on her husband’s neck during the arrest.

Kundi’s arrest on May 29, 2025, had left him in a coma and was dubbed by the Indian media as “Australia’s George Floyd moment”. 

Officers arrested Kundi in Royston Park during what they claimed was a domestic violence incident. Kundi became unresponsive during the arrest and was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. 

Kaur, who filmed portions of the arrest, said she had tried to tell the police that her husband hadn’t done anything wrong and it was just a row between the couple. She stopped filming just before a police officer allegedly placed a knee over Kundi’s neck. 

Death In Custody

Gaurav Kundi (42)'s death is being investigated as a death in custody, says SAPOL

SA Police said that Kundi’s death was being investigated as a “death in police custody”. 

“The Major Crime Investigation Branch will continue to investigate the cause and circumstances of his death and prepare a report for the State Coroner,” SA Police said in a statement. 

Commissioner Stevens said that, as previously announced, a Commissioner’s Inquiry into the incident was being conducted by a Chief Superintendent.

“The senior investigating officer conducting the Commissioner’s Inquiry has reviewed body worn vision and it has been confirmed that at no time was a knee applied to Mr Kundi’s neck,” the police statement said. “His head was not forced into the car or roadway at any point. However, the use of restraints during this incident will be closely examined during the Commissioner’s Inquiry.”

“The investigation and inquiries of this incident will have several layers of independent oversight, including the Director of Public Prosecution, Office of Public Integrity and the State Coroner,” SA Police said, adding, “The Office of Public Integrity has independent oversight of the investigation into the conduct of the police officers involved in the incident.”

SAPOL said that it had provided a briefing on the incident and investigation to the Indian Consulate and would continue to update the Indian Consulate on developments.

Police Arrest Kundi

Gaurav Kundi's arrest by SAPOL was captured on vide by his wife Amritpal Kaur.

According to the authorities, around 2.45 am on Thursday, May 29, 2025, “police witnessed an altercation between a man and a woman on Payneham Road, Royston Park.”

“During the attempt to arrest the 42-year-old man from Modbury North, he became unresponsive,” the police said in a statement. The man was taken to the hospital, where he remains.

“Major Crime detectives have been throughout the day investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. This investigation is ongoing,” police said. The police asked any members of the public who witnessed the incident or have footage to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

Wife Disputes Police Claim

Gaurav Kundi and his wife Amritpal Kaur.

Kaur disputed the police's claim that they had intervened during an alleged domestic violence incident.

Kaur told 9News that her husband had been drinking at home before he started walking on Payneham Road. She followed him and urged him to get home. Kundi reportedly shoved Kaur, and she believes the police who witnessed this assumed it was a domestic violence incident. 

In the video captured by Kaur, Kundi can be heard saying that he had “done nothing wrong.”

“Yeah, he hasn't done anything, what the hell!” Kaur is heard telling the police as they try to arrest him against a police car. 

The video then shows the police forcing Kundi to the ground.  “Oh my God! They are doing unfair!” screams Kaur, who said she stopped filming when police put a knee to her husband’s neck. According to Kaur, her husband’s head hit the police car. 

In another video, Kaur is heard urging the police to take her husband to the hospital as he is unresponsive. She said her husband had a heart condition, and the incident could have been avoided if the police had asked them what was happening.