Cop gets the stick as ‘friendly’ probe clip of minor suspect in Tirunelveli murder case goes viral

A constable was suspended for allegedly leaking a video conversation between the police and a juvenile suspect, apprehended for allegedly murdering an 18-year-old SC girl.
A selfie that the sub inspector took with the suspect went viral on social media | Express
A selfie that the sub inspector took with the suspect went viral on social media | Express

TIRUNELVELI:  A police constable has been placed under suspension for allegedly leaking a video conversation between the police and a juvenile suspect, apprehended for allegedly murdering an 18-year-old SC girl. A selfie that the sub-inspector took with the suspect also went viral on social media.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tirunelveli range, Parvesh Kumar confirmed the suspension of the grade-1 constable Jebamani and said the video was taken for internal purposes only. On Monday afternoon, the 17-year-old juvenile allegedly murdered the girl by slitting her throat when she was at a godown of a fancy store, where she was working, near the Nellaiappar temple. The reason for the murder is said to be the girl’s denial to the juvenile’s proposal for a relationship. 

The city police alerted Moolakaraipatty police, following which police personnel including inspector Meeral Banu, and SI Sakthi Natarajan nabbed the juvenile. Jebamani allegedly shot two videos during the inquiry. Sakthi Natarajan allegedly took a selfie with the juvenile and the other constable. On Thursday, SP N Silambarasan conducted an inquiry and suspended Jebamani. The provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and guidelines issued on various court orders for the arrest of the juvenile were discussed during the inquiry, sources said. In the video, the police are seen consoling the juvenile and checking his body for self-inflicted wounds.

Sub-inspector was earlier transferred for similar act
It is to be noted that Sakthi Natarajan was one of the police officials who were transferred to Range Vacancy Reserve from Ambasamudram division after the custodial torture, in which the suspended IPS officer Balveer Singh is prime accused, came to light. At that time, Natarajan was accused of shooting a video of a juvenile victim’s mother, threatening her to talk in favour of the police. The video was later allegedly released by Sakthi Natarajan on social media. Sources said Sakthi Natarajan was rapped for his continuous activities during the inquiry, but no action was taken against him. 

‘Treat juvenile suspect in SC girl murder as adult criminal’

MADURAI:  In the wake of the alleged murder of an 18-year-old SC girl at the hands of a 17-year-old caste Hindu stalker in Tirunelveli, executive director of Evidence A Kathir demanded the state to issue a GO ordering a hearing of all cases against juvenile caste Hindus involved in heinous crimes against SC community, in the special court instead of dealing it in the juvenile justice board (JJB).

Kathir said the number of juvenile boys involved in heinous crimes against SCs has gone up. “They get bail easily and are mostly spared from punishments on account of their age. The accused juvenile caste Hindu boys deliberately performed such crimes, including murder and sexual assaults,” Kathir said, adding that the governments, however, have not considered the crime against SCs as heinous crimes. 

He further said the government has to consider the crime against SCs by caste hindu juveniles as heinous and hear the case in a special court for exclusive trial cases registered under the SC/ST Act instead of JJB. “The arrest, bail, inquiry, and other procedures have to follow the treatment given for adults. The state has to provide a Rs 25 lakh compensation to the immediate relative of the victim girl. In the girl’s murder, the juvenile must not be provided bail and police must also add a section 354 D IPC in the FIR,” Kathir added. 

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