TENKASI: Tenkasi Superintendent of Police (SP) Suguna Singh said the District Crime Branch (Tirunelveli) Deputy Superintendent of Police would investigate the Veerakeralamputhur policemen in connection with the death of an auto-rickshaw driver, who died allegedly after facing custodial torture.
"We have decided to appoint a police officer of another district to investigate the case to give no room for others to think that the inquiry is in favour of the police. As a part of the inquiry, the inquiry officer will analyse the footage recorded by the CCTV camera in the Veerakeralampudur police station. However, the CCTV unit will generally have the footage of the last 30 days only," said the SP. It may be noted that the victim died 47 days after the alleged custodial torture.
Meanwhile, the CPM District Secretary K G Baskaran told The New Indian Express that his party was helping the victim's family file a writ petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in this case.
"Kumaresan died in Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital after battling for life for more than 45 days due to the brutal attack by the Veerakeralampudur police. It is unacceptable that the police maintain only 30 days of video footage. In some cases, the human rights commission steps in for inquiry several months after the incident. How do the police submit CCTV camera footage in such cases? The police are intentionally keeping limited days of footage to escape from the human rights commission," he added.
Activists have also demanded the State government order an inquiry into the suicide of a Kurumbalaperi-based man, who was allegedly stripped and beaten by the Pavoorchatram police. The man's relative had approached the HC two days ago “against the police brutality”.