Puthenveetil Sreejith wants action against the police for his brother’s custodial death. (Express Photo)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the death case of 27-year-old Kerala man who died of alleged torture in police custody. The Kerala government has been asking for a CBI probe into the matter, a demand accepted by the central government on Thursday.
Puthenveetil Sreejeev, 27, who was taken into custody in a case of theft, died at a Thiruvananthapuram hospital on March 21, 2014. The Congress-led UDF was in power at the time.
Police have claimed Sreejeev committed suicide by consuming poison, which they said he had concealed in his inner wear while being taken into custody.
Ever since Sreejeev’s death, his younger brother Sreejith has been on an indefinite agitation seeking a CBI probe into the matter. “I will continue my protest till the CBI probe begins, will also consult legal experts,” Sreejith told ANI on Friday.
READ ALSO | Kerala ‘custodial death’: Sreejith meets CM Vijayan, but vows to continue protest until CBI probe ordered
The 29-year-old has been waging a lonely battle outside the state secretariat. His sit-in protest entered the 765th day on Sunday. Powered by social media, his cause turned from Puthenveetil Sreejith’s individual struggle to a people’s struggle, with a campaign beginning a few days ago under the hashtag #justiceforsreejith.
RELATED READ | On Day 765: Thousands stand up to support a man’s sit-in for justice in Kerala
Malayalam actors Prithviraj and Parvathy have also thrown their weight behind the cause of the protesting youth. Politicians from the Congress and BJP camps have also lent their support for the protest.
(With PTI inputs)