Probe death: SHRC orders cops to pay family Rs 10 lakh

MADURAI : Exactly 10 years after a

farmworker was taken into custody

and beaten to death on an ill-conceived suspicion that he had stolen some cables from the then DMK minister

Periyasamy

’s farm, State Human Rights Commission (

SHRC

) awarded ₹10 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family. The victim, Jayapandi, is survived by his wife, a daughter and a differently abled son.

This the biggest compensation package awarded by SHRC in recent times, and it shall be recovered from the salaries of the erring inspector of police (now retired), Sarkarai, sub-inspector Pandiammal and head constable Jayaprakash of the Veeruvedu police station in Dindigul district.

Relief amount to worker’s kin has to be paid in a month

In his significant order, SHRC member

D Jayachandran

said that in addition to compensation, the trio shall face departmental proceedings as well as criminal proceedings for having caused the death of Jayapandi.

It all started on a Valentine’s Day in 2008, when Jayapandi stepped out of a farm he was employed near Coimbatore, to attend a funeral in his native village Veeravedu in Dindigul. An autorickshaw in which he was travelling was intercepted by police, which grew suspicious on seeing abunch of wire in Jayapandi’s bag. Police asked him whether he had stolen it from minister Periyasamy’s farm. Jayapandi said it was given to him by his owner, but the reply did not satisfy them. It took him to the police station and thrashed him.

Some of his acquintances came to his rescue and escorted him from the station. The next day, he was again picked up by police and thrashed. He died on February 17, 2008, while returning home. When his wife Panchavarnam sought to register an FIR for custodial death, she was threatened. But due to insistence of villagers and activists an FIR was registered against police. SHRC member Jayachandran, allowing the plea of Panchavarnam said: “She has categorically proved the police tortured her husband to admit that the theft of wire from the former minister’s garden, which led to his death. Besides, the commission forwarded the complaint, it received from the complainant, to its investigation wing’s director who enquired the witnesses and submitted the report on September 11, 2008 stating that the police violated the human rights of victim/deceased. Therefore, the respondents (the three police persons) are liable for cause of death of the deceased.”

The member also said: “The complainant is a labourer. She lost her husband who was the breadwinner. After his death, she and her two children were without any income. Considering their povertyand conditions of the case, this commission is of the opinion that ordering ₹10 lakh compensation would be fair. TN should pay the compensation amount to them within four weeks and recover the money from the erring officials, Jayachandran ruled.