Now this is very strange. A man named Li Qiaoming has died of head wounds in police custody. The official cause of his death? He was playing hide and seek, and ran blindfold into a wall.

Yes, your reaction is much the same as that of China''s netizens, who are now  sending the phrase ''hide and seek'' zinging around the blogosphere with a great helping of salt.  Interesting how it''s not just cynical foreigners who immediately assume police brutality. More on that soon when I tell you about a conversation I had recently with a woman who knows a thing or two about police brutality. 

Now China''s Communist Party goes great lengths to censor dissent on the web. But in this case the local propaganda chief is taking a different approach, inviting netizens to get involved in the investigation. Read more here . It''s not clear what the propaganda chief means - are China''s bloggers welcome to do a CSI type forensic analysis inside the jail? I think not. Indeed, he may backtrack rapidly.

Nevertheless, it''s just one more indication that the Communist Party knows it''s got to keep the goodwill of the population, it can''t just rule by fiat.