KOCHI: Following the death in custody of Sreejith of Varapuzha allegedly as a result of brutal torture, the relatives of the other persons taken into custody in the Vasudevan suicide case have levelled charges of custodial torture against the police. The kin of Vinu T V, Vinu S G, Sarath and Nithin. the co-accused in the case, told reporters here on Thursday third degree methods had been resorted to by the investigators.
Shyamala P R, mother of Sarath - the seventh accused- said the deceased Sreejith was writhing in pain when the police produced the accused in court. "After my son was arrested, we went to the station. Though the police promised to release them soon, they changed their mind later. We carried food and drinking water for my son and his friends but the police officers did not allow us to hand it over to them. At the police station, Sreejith was clutching his abdomen and complaining of severe pain. However, the police officers were not ready to provide him medical help. The accused were asked not to reveal details of custodial torture or else they will be taken into custody again and tortured," she said.
According to Raji A R, her son Vinu S G had been standing in front of their house and talking to a friend when the police came and took him into custody. "My son was standing outside the house chatting with a friend. The police came in civvies and took him to the station. He was brutally beaten after he got into police vehicle. He was again tortured at the police station in front of us. Sreejith was also at the police station and all those arrested were roughed up by the police. The torture continued even when our children were taken to the court," she said.
Nithin's wife Shalini said her husband had been away when the attack on Vasudevan took place. "He had been away when the incident which led to Vasudevan's suicide occurred. Rather unexpectedly, the police one day turned up at our house asking for my husband. Since he was home then, they asked him to go near the police vehicle parked by the roadside in which the SI was seated. However, on reaching there he was taken to the police station," she said.
According to Shalini, it is Thulasidas, Vibin, Ajith and Rinju who are the real culprits in the attack on Vasudevan. But they are yet to be arrested even as innocent persons are being arrested and brutalised in custody, she said.
Kala T V, mother of Vinu, said it is at the local CPM leadership's alleged behest the police had arraigned the youths in the case. "A woman CPM local leader active in Kudumbashree is behind the move to arraign our children. They believe our children are RSS supporters. They used this opportunity to throw them behind bars. Our sons are close chums of Vineesh, son of Vasudevan. The deceased Vasudevan was not a party worker," she said.
They claimed no police officer had turned up to record their statement in the wake of Sreejith's death.