IDUKKI: Even as the state government tries desperately to hold its ground in the Rajkumar custodial death case, a new jail-torture allegation has been reported from the very same Nedumkandam police station in Idukki, putting the Home Department under added pressure.
Hakkim, 31, of Mundiyeruma, has come up with a shocking revelation that he was severely assaulted by the police after he went to the Nedumkandam station following a complaint filed by his father-in-law over a family dispute.
Hakkim told mediapersons that he had heard the screams of someone being tortured (purportedly Rajkumar).
“While I writhed in the station cell that night, I happened to hear the sound of someone screaming from the police restroom,” he said.
Oppn demands judicial probe
T’Puram: The Opposition UDF has demanded a judicial investigation into the custodial death of Rajkumar. In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala urged the government to take steps to protect Rajkumar’s family and provide them with financial support.
Hakkim said the police called him to the station on June 14. Hakkim took medical assistance first at the taluk hospital and later at a private medical centre following the torture.
“The officers who were on duty at the station attacked me in group after conducting a medical assessment. They assaulted me in an area where CCTV cameras couldn’t capture the visuals. They kicked me in my stomach and beat me all over my body. When the assault became unbearable, I ran away from their clutches and stood holding on to the cell grill,” Hakkim said.
Hakkim alleged the police did not spare him even as he ran and continued beating him severely. One side of the grill got damaged in the impact of the assault. The police continued beating him even after he was thrown on to the cell floor. When Hakkim’s mother came to the station the following day morning, Hakkim was found in a worn-out condition in the cell.
Hakkim allegedly was not given even a glass of water or food until then. The police again beat him in front of his mother and demanded Rs 4,000 from them to repair the damaged grill and threatened Hakkim would be charged with a non-bailable offence. The grill was repaired after bringing a welder into the station and Rs 700 was collected from Hakkim to pay him.
The mother said she pleaded with the officers to not beat his son, saying he was a diabetic and hypertension patient. But they did not listen to her. Hakkim was remanded by the police on June 15 and was released only on Monday night after granting bail.
Nedumkandam police deny allegation
Idukki: Nedumkandam police on Tuesday denied that Hakkim, a native of Mundiyeruma in Idukki, was tortured while he was in custody on June 14. “Hakkim became violent when he was called to the station. We have all the CCTV visuals to prove what actually happened,” an officer said.
Prisoner death: Crime Branch probe in progress
Idukki: The Crime Branch have begun their probe into the police atrocities in the alleged custodial death of Rajkumar, a resident of Kolahalamedu in Idukki. They have set up a camp office at Nedumkandam and started recording the statements of witnesses. Crime Branch officials have already recorded the statements of officers who were on duty from June 12 to 16, when Rajkumar was in the police custody. Statements of other officers and people, who are allegedly involved in the crime, have also been recorded, said a source.
On June 11, Rajkumar gave a cheque worth H20 lakh to a beneficiary of his finance scheme claiming that the latter’s loan application has been sanctioned. The private bank returned the cheque citing insufficiency of funds in the account. On June 12, police took Rajkumar into custody based on the complaint filed by local residents. When police failed to record Rajkumar’s arrest even two days after taking him into custody, locals enquired about it. However, the SI told them that Rajkumar was not cooperating with the questioning.