KOCHI: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged custodial death of 26-year-old Varapuzha native S R Sreejith has moved the court to alter the FIR and slap IPC 302 for murder. However, the SIT has not named any accused in the case.
The move comes even as the autopsy report clearly established the death was caused by a tear in the small intestine or a kick or blow to the abdomen. But the police resorted to semantics by terming the cold-blooded murder ‘unnatural’ death.Three members of the Rural Task Force (RTF) and four officers, including the North Paravur Circle Inspector and Varapuzha Sub-Inspector, have been suspended in the case.
“The investigation is going on and it has just got under way. We also need to know when he was grievously injured, which proved fatal,” said a top police officer. On Friday, the SIT took the three RTF personnel — Jithin Raj, Santosh Kumar and Sumesh — who took away Sreejith from his house at Devaswompadam in Varapuzha into custody and quizzed them for over five hours at the Aluva Police Club.
“We have not recorded their arrest,” said the officer. He declined to divulge any more details.
Earlier, the post-mortem report had dismissed the claim of the police that Sreejith had suffered the injury during a clash with his neighbour.