SHRC directs Tamil Nadu govt to initiate disciplinary action, criminal prosecution against nine cops

CUDDALORE: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the Tamil Nadu government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh within one month to the widow of cashew nut trader, who was illegally detained and assaulted by policemen in connection with a chain-snatching case at Neyveli in Cuddalore district almost two years ago.
The trader, identified as M Selvamurugan, 39, of Kadampuliyur village, died of a cardiac arrest in a government hospital in Vridhachalam a week after he was arrested and remanded in judicial custody.
Commission member D Jayachandran directed the government to recover Rs 3 lakh from the then Neyveli town police inspector, S Arumugam, and Rs 25,000 each from eight other policemen - head constables C Sathish Babu, C Kaliyamoorthy, D Sudhakar, P Muthamilselvan, G Rajasekaran, J Murugan and K Harikrishnan and sub- inspector R Sivaraman -- who were then serving at police stations in Neyveli Town, Umangalam, Parangipettai and Mantharakuppam.
The commission member also directed the government to initiate disciplinary action and criminal prosecution against the nine policemen.
A special police team arrested Selvamurugan in connection with a chain-snatching case and remanded him in judicial custody after inquiries during the last week of October 2020. The trader, who was lodged at Vridhachalam sub-jail, developed epileptic fits on November 4, 2020. He was taken to Vridhachalam general hospital where he died on the same day.
The SHRC, which received complaints of human rights violations by policemen after the trader's death, directed its investigation wing to inquire into the issue and submit a report. In his report, a DSP-rank inquiry officer, who examined 39 witnesses including trader's wife and nine policemen, declared that the policemen illegally had confined the trader in their custody violating his human rights. The report revealed that the trader died of coronary artery heart disease and there was no police involvement in his death.
In a report submitted to the commission, a judicial magistrate, who conducted a parallel inquiry following a direction from Madras high court, also declared that the special police team illegally detained the trader on October 28, 2020, harassed and tortured him causing injuries before remanding in judicial custody on October 30, 2020. The trader lodged at Vridhachalam sub-jail suffered epileptic fits on November 2 and November 4. He was taken to Vridhachalam government hospital on both occasions. He died due to a cardiac arrest on November 4, 2020. If the trader had been taken to another hospital for treatment, he would have been saved, the judicial magistrate said in the report.
The commission member pointed out that as per the medical records produced by the doctors, who conducted the postmortem and the judicial magistrate's report, 14 injuries were found on the trader's body during the second autopsy.
"It is also seen from the report that the deceased was not at all assaulted or tortured by the prison officials at the time of custody. But the respondents (nine cops) had not come forward to give any explanation as to how the deceased had sustained such injuries on his body, said the commission member.