TIRUNELVELI: Hours after the District Superintendent of Police Arunsakthikumar stated on Tuesday that evidence of a phone conversation between the Achanputhur police officers and the Isakkimuthu family who committed self-immolation would be investigated if it is produced before the police, a series of audio snippets containing purported phone conversations between the police and Isakkimuthu went viral on social media.
For their part, relatives of the victims handed over a Compact Disc (CD) containing the phone conversations to the District Collector Sandeep Nanduri. Last Monday, Isakkimuthu (30), a daily labourer from Kasitharmam village near Kadayanalloor, had set himself, wife Subbulakshmi (28) and two daughters aged six and two ablaze at the District Collectorate premises, claiming that the police were colluding with a local moneylender. All the four were sent to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital where they died at different time-points. Prior to their demise, Judicial Magistrate III R Karthikeyan had recorded their statements.
According to the police, preliminary investigations showed that Isakkimuthu and Subbulakshmi not only took credit from the alleged usurer Muthulakshmi and Thalavairaj from Kasitharmam but also obtained around Rs 1,20,000 as credit from more than five persons. The police further stated that the couple borrowed from others as well besides themselves lending money.
Relatives claimed that Isakkimuthu and Subbulakshmi had taken a loan of Rs 1,45,000 from Muthulakshmi and repaid Rs 2,34,000. But the statement issued by the police department makes no reference to this alleged repayment. The relatives had further alleged that police officers from the Achanputhur police station had threatened Isakkimuthu over phone and that their repeated petitions at the office of the District Collectorate had not yielded any result.
The SP had said that the case would be investigated in a comprehensive manner. When asked about the alleged collusion of the police with the moneylender, the SP had said that action would be taken based on evidence.
What the audio clips say
In one of the clips, a person who appeared to be a policeman was heard abusing Isakkimuthu. “Why are you alive if you can’t repay… Even if you submit petitions at different places, where it will go?... Are you trying to threaten the police?... Only beggars, scoundrels and those who consume human waste will be afraid of you...,” the voice says.
A second voice says in-between, “I will take care of the issue, sir… I know how to repay… Since you shouted at her (presumed to be Isakkimuthu’s wife) yesterday, she says she will end her life… Why don’t you investigate the issue fairly, sir?”
The first voice says, “I have not shouted at her… If we need to investigate fairly, we want both the parties to be present… But, you are not coming together and repeatedly petitioning SP office and Collector. Even you have given usury and signed in a document… We (police) are not fools… Have you not you slapped your wife with slippers for taking credit without your knowledge?” To this, the second voice says, “I already hit her and she says she will commit suicide.”
In two other audio clips, the police are politely asking Isakkimuthu and Subbulakshmi to appear before them as nearly five complaints have been received against them. According to one of the clips, the couple reportedly told the police that they were in Coimbatore and would come after Deepavali. In another audio, Isakkimuthu claims that he hadn’t received any summons from the police at his Kasitharmam residence.
Another audio clip, purportedly of a conversation between Isakkimuthu and another person who helped him get credit, is also doing the rounds.