Tuticorin custodial death case: CB-CID arrests three more cops

Tuticorin, July 02: The Crime Branch CID sleuths on Thursday arrested three more police personnel including an inspector in a case of alleged torture by police leading to the deaths of a father-son duo at Sathankulam in southern Tamil Nadu. Also, police protection has been given to a woman police head constable who testified on alleged excesses against the two men.

The fresh arrests comes following the arrest of sub-inspector Raghu Ganesh last night and in total, four police personnel have been arrested in the case.

Following preliminary investigations, inspector Sridhar, head constable Murugan, and sub-inspector Balakrishnan have been arrested, senior police officials said. "All important police personnel involved in the incident have been arrested...the investigation continues," a senior CB-CID official said.

Senior officer S Murugan, who took over as Inspector General of Police South Zone, today confirmed the four arrests and asserted that "custodial deaths" must not be allowed to happen and all arrests should be carried out in accordance with law and as per the directions of the Supreme Court.

While training police personnel on criminal investigation, scientific methods were focused nowadays, he said,adding probe was also being handled scientifically in all cases. With such an emphasis and continuous training, allegations of excesses would be a thing of the past, he hoped.

The official said "adequate police protection" has been provided to the woman police head constable Revathy who testified over alleged police excesses. "She has been given a paid one month leave acceding to her request.The police superintendent has issued an order."

In her statement to a Judicial Magistrate who was looking into alleged police excesses, Head constable Revathy said the personnel at the Sathankulam police station thrashed Jeyaraj and his son Bennicks the whole night there and used lathis for allegedly assaulting them and a table had blood stains on it. Within hours of taking over the probe on the directions of the Madras High Court, the CB-CID on Wednesday slappedmurder charges against the accused persons including sub-inspector Raghu Ganesh.

The two men, Jeyaraj and his son Bennicks, were arrested on June 19 for violation of prohibitory orders by keeping their cellphone shop beyond the allowed time and produced before the duty doctor of a government hospital at Sathankulam in Tuticorin district for medical-examination.

The next day, a magistrate remanded them to judicial custody and they were lodged at the Kovilpatti sub-jail. Bennicks was admitted at a government hospital in Kovilpatti by jail authorities on June 22 at 19.45 hours and he died at 21.00 hours while he was undergoing treatment.

Jeyaraj was also admitted to the same facility at 22.30 hours on the same day and he died at 05.40 hours on June 23. In the backdrop of outrage against their deaths following alleged police brutality, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on June 28 announced a CBI probe.