An alleged case of torture during incarceration in Tamil Nadu Dalit man’s death
The family of a 44-year-old man who passed away a week ago following what they claim was a brutal attack by police at the Villupuram taluk police station in connection with the illegal sale of Tasmac liquor has filed a petition with the Villupuram district court, demanding the exhumation of the man’s buried body and an investigation into the alleged torture he endured while in custody. According to a death report filed under section 174 CrPC by the Villupuram GH, the death has been classified as “unnatural death.”
K Raja, a dalit resident of GRP Street in Villupurm town, went missing on April 9 at night and was discovered in police custody on April 10 in the morning, according to family members. My kid and I went to visit my husband after learning that he was being held by the police, but the officers denied us access to see him. Raja’s wife Anju, 42, stated, “They threatened us, saying that if we caused trouble, we’d be arrested too and they would drop my husband at our home in some time.”
“My spouse arrived home at around 11:30 a.m. He began sobbing as soon as he got into the home, telling stories of how the cops had battered him mercilessly. He needed some water as he was having trouble breathing. He fell to the ground shortly after taking a drink of water, according to Anju.
“We sent him to the government hospital in Villupuram, which is close, where the doctors pronounced him dead. Police officers showed up at the scene in a short while and transported my husband’s corpse to Mundiyambakkam GH for a postmortem that took all of ten minutes, she added. “They wrapped up my father’s autopsy in just a few minutes, made us sign some papers, and gave us the body,” said Kuberan, Raja’s older son. Although the police insisted on having the corpse cremated, we decided to bury my father on April 11 since we weren’t sure why he had died.
“On April 13, my husband passed away from torture he suffered while in custody. With the assistance of human rights activists, we filed a complaint with the Villupuram district superintendent of police, demanding justice.” But police haven’t looked into it yet, Anju added, citing election responsibilities.
“We have filed a petition at the Villupuram district court seeking orders for exhumation of the body and investigation into the police atrocity,” human rights activist P V Ramesh, who is assisting the family in this issue, told TNIE. We have also petitioned the CM’s cell in order to get justice.
Raja just started working as a chef at a guesthouse next to a Tasmac store in Tirupuchavadi Medu, which is around seven kilometers from Villupuram town, according to reports. Raja was detained by the police for allegedly selling alcohol on the black market beyond the designated hours close to the Tasmac store. On April 10, Villupuram taluk station police took him into jail even though no formal complaint had been filed for the incident, according to Raja’s acquaintances.
After the polls, a top police officer informed TNIE that the complaint has been received and that an investigation would start.
