Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Awaiting succour

Relief is yet to reach the mother of custodial death victim in Kollam writes G. Anand

The State Government is yet to provide any temporary compensation to Rajamma, 65, the mother of Rajendran, 37, who died in police custody at Kollam East police station on April 6 this year.

The circumstances of Rajendran's death have striking similarities with that of Udayakumar who died in police custody at Fort police station on September 27.

Both the victims had no criminal records and hailed from the poor section of society. They had died in police stations owing to injuries sustained during torture. In both the cases, the accused are Crime Squad policemen.

In Udayakumar's case, the Government had announced interim relief for his mother. No such relief has been given to Rajamma so far.

J. Sandhya of the Human Rights Law Network says she had visited Rajamma recently and found her in an ailing condition. "Rajamma was living with her son and was dependent on his income. We are planning to move the court to secure some relief for her," Ms. Sandhya says.

Rajendran's brother-in-law, K. Gopinathan, says the family is yet to get a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) registered in connection with the custodial death. The only document they have is a death certificate issued by the Kollam Corporation stating that Rajendran had died at the East police station. Rajamma has moved the authorities for a copy of her son's post mortem examination report.

Gopinathan alleged that some persons suspected to be policemen in plainclothes had tried offering the family Rs.2 lakhs to dissuade them from pursuing the case. The family also alleged that some persons had tried to manipulate police and hospital records relating to the case.

M. Krishna Bhadran, SP, Crime Branch, Kollam, says that the investigation in the custodial death case is nearing completion. The investigation team's inference is that Rajendran was tortured to death in the police station complex. Two constables have been arrested and remanded on the charge of murder. The alleged role of five other policemen, including the CI, is under probe.

The agency has decided to record the statement of 10 policemen in the presence of a magistrate under section 162 of the CrPC to prevent any variation in their original declarations when the case is tried.

The agency had also questioned several civilians who were at the station when Rajendran was brought for questioning. Except for the two policemen who were arrested, all others witnesses have told the investigators that the CI was not present at the station when Rajendran was tortured.

The forensic experts who conducted the post mortem examination had found 17 injuries on Rajendran's body. Four injuries, including fractures found on the ribs and skull, could have caused the death. The agency also found an erasure in a police record relating to Rajendran's detention.

Rajendran had been arrested on the charge of stealing a mobile phone from a private hospital where he had gone to retail a cleaning lotion. The investigators have now found that Rajendran was at his house in Kottarakkara when the mobile phone theft was reported.

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