TENKASI: Veerakeralampudur police registered a case against a Sub-Inspector (SI) and constable under section 174 (3) of Cr.PC. for allegedly beating a 25-year-old youth in their custody to death, here on Sunday.
This case has been registered after about 200 people of Veerakeralampudur staged a protest against the police by blocking the Surandai - Alangulam road on Saturday night as the victim Kumaresan, who was under treatment for 15 days at the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH), died. In his petition to the Superintendent of Police Suguna Singh, the victim’s father Navaneethakrishnan said that Kumaresan told him and the doctors that the accused persons, SI Chandrasekar and constable Kumar, had severely beaten him on his hand, leg, back and penis on May 10.
“My son Kumaresan is an autorickshaw driver. Myself and Kumaresan were called to the Veerakeralampudur police station on May 8 for an inquiry in a land issue. During the inquiry, Chandrasekar beat my son on his cheek repeatedly in front of me with speaking in a filthy language. Since Kumaresan asked Chandrasekar why he was beating him up when he had done nothing wrong, the SI warned my son of consequences for raising a question with him and sent out from the station,” Navaneethakrishnan told the TNIE.
He added that Chandrasekar again took his son who was standing near the autorickshaw stand on May 10 under his custody. “As the SI snatched away Kumaresan’s cell phone, the latter found no way but to go to the station to get back his cell phone. But, Kumaresan was severely beaten up by Chandrasekar and Kumar at the police station and sent home threatening that he would be lodged under the Goondas Act if he would reveal the police beatings to anyone,” he said.
“After this incident, his health condition started worsening gradually. He often vomited blood and reported chest pain. We took him for treatment to the Government Hospitals in Veerakeralampudur and Tenkasi and a private hospital in Surandai before we admitted him in TvMCH. Even before my son’s death, I submitted a petition to the Superintendent of Police, Tenkasi to take stern action against the cops who beat my son under custody,” said Navaneethakrishnan when he was waiting to receive his son’s body at the mortuary of TvMCH.
When contacted by TNIE, Suguna Singh said that he had demanded the doctors to record video footage of postmortem of Kumaresan to find out the truth behind his death. “Navaneethakrishnan says his son was beaten by the police about 47 days ago. We have to wait for the postmortem report to know the reason behind the death of Kumaresan. I am ready to act against anyone who is found guilty,” he added.