Tamil Nadu police are in the dock after a Scheduled Caste youth, who was in custody of 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 its illegal sale.
He was remanded in judicial custody, and after he complained of uneasiness, he was brought to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH).
The post-mortem 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 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 post-mortem’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 post-mortem. 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 city police personnel deleted the video of the post-mortem shot by the relatives of Thangamani.
Even after the DMK government led by Stalin has assured that there won’t be any custodial torture, the police has been “resorting to custodial torture”, Ramesh said.
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 IANS, said: “Tamil Nadu police have to explain the exact cause of death, and the post-mortem report has revealed that the injuries are three to four days old. Thangasamy was taken into custody on June 11 while he passed away on June 14. A thorough probe is the need of the hour and those in government must act against such inhuman actions by the police.”
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