Ramesh demands judicial probe

IDUKKI: Leader of opposition Ramesh

Chennithala

has demanded a judicial probe into the alleged custodial death of Kolahalamedu resident Rajkumar, 49. While visiting the house of Rajkumar on Saturday, Chennithala said, "To bring out the truth behind the custodial death the government should order a judicial probe. Idukki SP K B Venugopal and senior police officers knew about the illegal custody of Rajkumar". He said the government was now trying to sabotage the case.


However, a senior police officer confirmed that the Idukki SP and

Kattappana

DSP were aware that Rajkumar was taken into custody on June 12. "

Nedumkandam

CI Reji Kunnipparampan was on leave from June 2 to 17 and was out of station. The special branch reported the issue on June 13 and 14 to the Idukki SP. But the higher officers, including the SP, ignored the reports. No officer, who takes an accused into custody, can keep him in custody for so many days without the permission of higher officers," he said.

Idukki special branch DSP Pius George refuted the allegation. "The district special branch has not submitted any report to the SP regarding the illegal custody of Rajkumar," he said.

Meanwhile, Peerumade police have registered cases against 30 people who had attacked Rajkumar, his accomplices Salini and Manjusha at

Kuttikkanam

prior to handing them over to the police on June 12. The case was registered based on a letter sent by Alice, a member of the Nedumkandam grama panchayat, to the Idukki SP. The letter said that the crowd attacked them after finding that the money collected from them was not deposited in the bank. However, on Saturday Alice told reporters that she had not mentioned about the attack on Rajkumar in her letter.

Meanwhile, the state human rights commission has ordered the state police chief to submit a report on the custodial torture and death of Rajkumar.

CPI district secretary K K Sivaraman said that police high-handedness was revealed in the illegal custody and death of Rajkumar. "The government should conduct an impartial inquiry and book all policemen involved in the issue," he said.

Rajkumar was taken into custody by the Nedumkandam police on June 12 and was produced before the court only on June 16. He died at the Peerumade taluk hospital on June 21.

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