TN Congress leader Jeyakumar's mystery death: What we know so far

The death of Tamil Nadu Congress leader KPK Jayakumar Dhanasingh appears to be turning more mysterious by the day.

The charred body of Jeyakumar, Tirunelveli East’s District Congress president, was discovered in a charred state at Karaisuthu Pudur near Thisayanvilai in Tirunelveli on Saturday (May 4). The news broke two days after a missing person report was filed with the Uvari police.

Initially suspected to be self-immolation, investigators subsequently began to suspect foul play. The probe team is now increasingly leaning towards the theory that it could be homicide. This is because the initial findings from the post-mortem reportedly signal a divergence from the patterns usually seen in deaths by burning.

Congress leaders quizzed

The Tamil Nadu police have quizzed some Congress leaders over the death of their party colleague, who was also a businessman and government contractor. Police officers summoned and questioned Congress leaders Ruby Manoharan, the Nanguneri MLA, and former Tamil Nadu Congress chief KV Thangkabalu.

Jeyakumar, in a note written a few days before his death, had accused all the three of threatening him. In his explosive allegation, Jeyakumar had said those who owed him money had issued him death threats. The police found the letter after the murder.

The Congress leaders have strongly denied any financial obligation to Jayakumar, calling the accusations baseless. The letter demanded criminal action against those who Jayakumar alleged had cheated him and asked the police to retrieve his money and property from his debtors and restore them to his family.

Body was bound

Police officers said Jayakumar was tied up with steel wires before he died. “There were marks on the hands of being tied with steel wires used for fencing. The doctors who performed autopsy suggested that it was not a case of self-immolation but rather he was killed before being burnt,” an officer said. Also, a scrubber was found in the dead man’s mouth.

The postmortem report suggested the lungs had no black particles, which are typically observed in those who die by immolation. The police therefore suspect he was murdered before being set on fire.

A team headed by the Tirunelveli superintendent of police feels it was murder. But the police are awaiting the autopsy report before they reach a definite conclusion.

The strong restraints add to the theory – a person who opts for suicide would probably not use such a complex method.

What's curious

However, the post-mortem is not conclusive yet. Also, Jeyakumar's wife, when asked to identify the corpse, was not fully confident it was her husband's. DNA samples have been sent for testing. Until the DNA test reports and final post-mortem reports come in, the police cannot arrive at a conclusion.

Also, the police have been unable to find Jeyakumar's mobile phone. This is surprising because the other things on his person, such as his PAN and Aadhaar cards, have been found, but not his mobile.

Police suspect that it may have been flung into a well located close to his house. The investigating team is checking all the available CCTV footage.

According to Superintendent of Police N Silambarasan, the police have interrogated as many as 70 people including family members, neighbours and suspects in the Congress party.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai said the party had formed an internal panel to probe the death as Jayakumar had made allegations against some party men in the letter to the police.

Missing report

Jeyakumar, who headed the Congress unit in Tirunelveli East district, was reported missing since May 2. On the evening of May 3, Jeyakumar’s 28-year-old son Karuthaiah Jafrin filed a complaint with the Uvari police in Tirunelveli, saying his father had been missing since the previous evening.

Jeyakumar is said to have stepped out and not returned home. When he filed the complaint, Karuthaiah submitted the note purportedly written by Jayakumar on April 30. His half-burnt body was found some 200 metre away from his house on May 4.