TIRUNELVELI: Urging the state government to apprehend and suspend the police persons, who were accused in the 2018 Sivanthipatti double custodial death case, advocate and Nethaji Subash Senai President V Maharajan sent a communication to media persons on Friday. He pointed out that the accused persons, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Ponnarasu, appeared for a preliminary hearing of the case before the Judicial Magistrate (I) in Tirunelveli on Friday last.
"CB-CID sleuths submitted the case chargesheet in April against 10 police personnel, including one deceased person. The next court hearing for the case is scheduled for June 9. However, it is upsetting that the state government has initiated no departmental action against the policemen, or taken steps to arrest them. One of the accused is on the verge of retirement, and hence the government should immediately suspend him to avert his retirement," demanded Maharajan, who has been providing legal assistance to the victims' families.
Ponnarasu and other police personnel -- Ashokan (deceased), Saagar, Siyop Jones, Karuthaiah, Sudhakar, Velpandi, Selvi, Prathap, and Kannan -- have been charged under IPC sections 120b, 330, 348, 326, 167, 218, 304 (ii), 201, and 109, by the CB-CID.
Sivanthipatti police whisked away the victims, N Murugesan of Maruthoor and P Manickaraja of Vagaikulam, from a residence in Ambasamudram Pothai for inquiries in 2018. "They were held in police custody from March 26 to 29, before being admitted to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) with severe injuries. Murugesan succumbed to his injuries on March 30 and Manickaraja on the next day. However, the police personnel attempted to stage their deaths as an accident. The police had also foisted a false case against them using a stock witness," stated sources privy to the case.
According to sources, the police allegedly fractured Murugesan's and Manickaraja's legs using iron rods at the police quarters located behind the Sivanthipatti police station. "They also coerced the victims into telling TvMCH doctors that their legs had been injured in a two-wheeler accident," they added.