TN police in dock after relatives allege on custodial death of SC youth

Tamil Nadu police is in the dock after a Scheduled Caste youth, who was taken into custody by the Puliyangudi police in Tenkasi district died.

Chennai, June 18 (BPNS)

Tamil Nadu police is in the dock after a Scheduled Caste youth, who was taken into custody by the Puliyangudi police in Tenkasi district died. The 23 year old youth, Thangasamy was taken into custody for allegedly supplying liquor bottles to a woman for illegal sale of liquor.

He was remanded in judicial custody and after he complained of uneasiness, he was brought to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH).

The postmortem report of the youth revealed the presence of seven irregular reddish-brown abrasions on his body. The report also revealed that the injuries had taken place three to four days before death.

The report also stated that there were three black sabs on the body which were also three to four days old. The Tirunelveli Medical college hospital did not reveal the cause of the death as the chemical analysis report of the viscera and histopathological examination of tissues have not come.

Joint Action Committee against Custodial Torture alleged that the Perumpalpuram police were trying to tamper with the postmortem’s video footage.

Advocate Ramesh of CPI-ML who is spearheading the agitation alleged the hospital administration refused to provide the family of the victim with video footage shot during the postmortem. He said that as per a 2020 Madras High Court order the relatives of the custodial death victims should be allowed to videograph his body. He also alleged that the police have city police personel deleted the video of the postmortem shot by the relatives of the deceased Thangamani.

It may be noted that even after the DMK government led by Stalin has assured that there wont be any custodial torture, the police has been resorting to custodial torture. After a lull the death of a Scheduled Caste youth allegedly by custodial torture has put the Tamil Nadu police in the dock.

C. Rajeev , Director, Centre for Policy and Development Studies while speaking to BPNS said, “Tamil Nadu police have to explain the exact cause of death and the postmortem report has revealed that the injuries are three to four days old. While Thangasamy passed away on June 14, he was taken into custody on June 11. A thorough probe is the need of the hour and those in government must act against such inhuman actions by the police.”