KOTTAYAM: Express investigation into Raj Kumar’s death pinpointed two reasons - horrendous torture first at the Nedumkandam police station and later at the Peermade Sub Jail coupled with the inhuman act by the Sub Jail authorities who refused proper medical care. This puts the Nedumkandam police and Peermade jail authorities on the defensive.
Though there were some lapses in the post-mortem report submitted by forensic experts at the Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital, it categorically pointed out the severe custodial torture encountered by Raj Kumar. The report, which marked 22 injuries on the body, is obviously a crucial document in the investigation.
A key finding is ‘falanga’ (in which soles of the feet are given repeated blows) inflicted on Raj Kumar. “Pattern of injuries (specified ones) denoted ‘falanga’ under detention,” the reports stated, referring to the contusions seen on the sole of the left foot 9 cm above the fore toe, and 1 cm above this, oblique on sole of the right foot 8 cm above the fourth toe, and on the sole of the right foot 15 cm above the tip of the big toe. This apart, contusions on front of the right thigh 19 cm, 10 cm above knee, and front of the left thigh 17 cm above knee also indicated brutal torture by the police. The fracture was spotted on four ribs on the right and left sides presumably as a result of cardiac resuscitation.
The Crime Branch found he was taken into custody on June 12. After continuous torture in illegal custody, Raj Kumar was admitted to the Government Taluk hospital, Nedumkandam by 9.30 pm on June 15 . Hospital authorities put him under observation until the following day. However, police took him to the Idukki Judicial First Class Magistrate in the evening. Though he was sinking, he was lodged at the Peermade Sub Jail. Raj Kumar was taken to Peermade taluk hospital on June 18 after his condition further worsened and doctors there advised specialised medical care. While the jail staff claim they brought Raj Kumar to Government Medical College hospital on June 19 and 20, there are no records substantiating this.
“He wouldn’t have died if there was timely medical care. The injuries sustained might have led to infection and pneumonia, which could have been avoided if medical assistance was provided. It is a fact, jail inmates do not get proper medical care most of the time,” said Hithesh Sankar, secretary, Kerala Medico-Legal Society.
“Evidently, police and jail authorities didn’t give proper care to him. Even a healthy man can fall sick if he is forced to lie on the bare floor in the cool climes of Peermade and Nedumkandam,” said a police officer, who sought anonymity.
‘No family should undergo this ordeal’
In the spartan two-room estate line house in Kolahalamedu division of Pullikkanam estate, M Vijaya, wife of Raj Kumar, is grappling with the horror her husband had to endure at the hands of law enforcers. She is bewildered that her husband, a Class IX dropout who knew only Tamil, could run a multi-crore business.
“Kumar (Raj Kumar) worked in Bonami estate. When a lockout was declared in 2000, he occasionally worked as a daily wage labourer. He can’t read and write any language other than Tamil. And such a person swindling people...it’s just not possible,” Vijaya said.
Raj Kumar was with his family till April 17. Two days after he left them, she lodged a man-missing complaint at Vagamon police station. However, she didn’t proceed with the complaint when she heard that Rajkumar was staying in Kumily. She last met him when police brought him to their house around 12.30 am on June 13 to recover the investors’ money. He was beaten up by the police in front of them. Ten days on, police informed her that Rajukmar died of some ailment.