VELLORE: The Criminal Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID), Vellore, will conduct an inquest into the death of three inmates of the Vellore Central Prison for Men who were in judicial custody.
Sources in the police department said that the State Home department has instructed the CB-CID to conduct an inquest into the death of Rajamanickam of Chinnavadacheri in Vaniyambadi, Baskar David of Sulagiri in Dharmapuri and Venkat Raman of Mel Chengam in Tiruvannamalai.
According to police sources, an accused dying while in judicial custody, will automatically trigger a CB-CID inquest.
“It is a parallel inquiry conducted by the CB-CID. After completing the inquiry, the unit will forward the report to the senior officials of the wing, who in turn, will submit it before the Home Department,” said a source in the department.
Rajamanickam was arrested for violating prohibition laws and remanded under judicial custody. He reportedly died of cardiac arrest on September 16, 2008.
Baskar David was arrested on charges of murder-threats and remanded under judicial custody in 2008. He reportedly died of cardiac arrest. The third convict, Venkat Raman, like Rajamanickam, was arrested by Mel Chengam police on violating prohibition laws in January 2011. Within three days of his arrest, he had allegedly committed suicide, while in judicial custody, by hanging inside the prison.
The then sub-divisional magistrate had conducted an inquest into the deaths and submitted a report.
The Vellore unit of the CB-CID collected the case diary of the three cases from Bagayam Station, which had filed cases on the death of the three convicts.