Horror continues: Outrage in TN after 21-year-old dies of 'police torture'

A 21-year-old college-going student died of alleged police brutality in Neerkozhiyenthal village of Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu last week. The family says L Manikandan was beaten up on December 4 and he died the next day, incidentally his birthday.

The parents, daily-wage workers, say the police picked up their son on the suspicion of carrying drugs without evidence and beat him up in police custody which caused his death at home the next day.

The police have refuted the family’s claim.

The victim, Manikandan, was a third-year BA (English) student of a private college and the eldest among the four siblings. His father is differently-abled and both of his parents work as daily-wage labourers.

The family refused to accept Manikandan’s body after the first post-mortem showed no external or internal injuries, which the police used to claim nothing happened at the Keezhathooval police station on December 4, the day Manikandan was picked up for investigation.

The family then moved the Madurai bench of Madras High Court, which on December 8 directed a second post-mortem. The report is awaited.

The incident

Around 12 pm on Saturday (December 4), L Manikandan sought the permission of his parents to visit a neighboring village to purchase a cake. His mother L Ramalakshmi agreed because the next day was his birthday. But little did she know that this birthday was going to be his last. When Manikandan did not return till evening, Ramalakshmi became restless. She tried to reach him on his cell phone, but it went unanswered. Around 7.15 pm on Saturday, she received a call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as an officer from Keezhathooval police station and asked her to visit the police station immediately to pick up her son.

L Alexpandian, Manikandan’s younger brother, said the police official did not reveal any other details. “So, I along with my mother and a neighbor hired an autorickshaw and reached the police station where we were made to stand outside for more than an hour without letting us know how my brother was,” said Alexpandian.

An hour later, the police brought some papers to get Manikandan’s mother’s signatures. It was then that the family came to know that Manikandan was driving with two pillion riders and were intercepted when they failed to stop near Keelathoovam Kali temple after a long chase. While the police caught Manikandan, the two others managed to escape.

“We got to see Manikandan only when the officials decided to let him go. The police officials then made us stand together and took our picture,” Alexpandian said.

Even at that time, Manikandan looked shaken and unstable. “All the way home, he complained of pain in the stomach. He told us that police had beaten him in the stomach, back and in private parts. It was around 9 pm when we reached home and my mother told him that she will take him to a hospital the next morning. Then he went to bed. Around 12 in the night, Manikandan started vomiting blood and died an hour later,” said the brother.

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Manikandan, who was studying Arts in a private college, was a sports person and had even attended a military recruitment drive. “My brother did not have any health problems at all. He was fit and healthy. He died because of police torture,” he added.

“Why should the police take the picture of Manikandan along with his family members? It is understandable if they had taken the picture of Manikandan alone,” questioned their lawyer B Dineshkumar.

Court orders another post-mortem

A day after his death, Ramalakshmi, Manikandan’s mother, moved the court claiming that her son died of police torture and the post-mortem was not done properly. According to the first report, neither external nor internal injuries were found on Manikandan’s body.

While hearing the petition on December 8, the Madurai bench of Madras High Court ordered a re-postmortem on Manikandan’s body. Accordingly, another post-mortem was conducted at Ramanathapuram government hospital the same day. The police first refused to allow the doctor – Saravanan – who accompanied the family, to observe the post-mortem. When the family and relatives protested, the police allowed the doctor inside the post-mortem hall after a six-hour delay. It was only after the second post-mortem was conducted that the family accepted the body and performed the last rites.

The second post-mortem report is likely to be submitted on December 13.

Alexpandian said the family is hopeful the second post-mortem report will reveal the truth and his brother will get justice.

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Meanwhile, a Ramanthapuram police official said that Manikadan was not ill-treated at the police station and his mother was called to the station only because he was a student. “In fact, they were waiting outside the police station throughout the inquiry process. We have released the CCTV footage of the inquiry as well,” he said.

“We had a tip-off that ganja transactions are happening in the locality. So the police were conducting checks. It was then that Manikandan’s vehicle passed by. Since he did not stop, police chased and caught them. Several criminal cases were registered against one of Manikandan’s friend, Sanjeev,” the police official said.

Meanwhile, AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami have demanded a probe against the police officials responsible for Manikandan’s death. They also urged the state government to offer jobs to family members and a compensation of Rs 50 lakh.