TIRUNELVELI: The CB-CID sleuths have filed a 600-page charge-sheet against 10 police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), before the Judicial Magistrate Court (I) in Tirunelveli in the connection with the alleged custodial torture of two youths in Sivanthipatti police station and their subsequent deaths in 2018.
The DSP, Ponnarasu, and other police personnel -- Ashokan (deceased), Saagar, Siyop Jones, Karuthaiah, Sudhakar, Velpandi, Selvi, Prathap, and Kannan -- have been accused under sections 120b, 330, 348, 326, 167, 218, 304 (ii), 201 and 109 of the Indian Penal Code, in the charge-sheet. Sources said the first hearing of the case has been scheduled for May 26.
"Five years ago, police brought N Murugesan of Maruthoor and P Manickaraja of Vagaikulam from a house in Ambasamudram Pothai, to Sivanthipatti police station for an inquiry. The duo was kept under police custody from March 26 to 29. With severe injuries, they were admitted to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) where Murugesan died on March 30 and Manickaraja on March 31.
"However, the police personnel attempted to show that the duo died in an accident. When the two youths were under custody, the police also registered a ‘put-up’ case against them by foisting a complaint using a stock witness," said sources.
The police had allegedly broken the legs of both Murugesan and Manickaraja using iron rods at the police quarters located behind Sivanthipatti police station. “They were forced to tell the TvMCH doctors that their legs were injured during a two-wheeler accident,” sources added. Advocate and President of Nethaji Subash Senai V Maharajan, who had staged several protests over the last four years demanding justice for the deceased youngsters’ families, told media persons that the CB-CID police were helping some police personnel to escape from the case. “The police refrained from submitting several documents, which are strong evidence in the case, at the court and have imposed most of the charges on the deceased policeman,” he added.
The incident
The police had allegedly broken the legs of both Murugesan and Manickaraja using iron rods at the police quarters located behind Sivanthipatti police station. They were forced to tell the Tirunelveli Medical College and Hospital doctors that their legs were injured after a two-wheeler accident, said sources