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What a shame: Madras HC orders takeover of a police station by revenue officials, CBI to probe custodial death

By IndianMandarins- 01 Jul 2020
1998

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Former Kerala DGP Dr N C Asthana (Retd IPS:1986:KL) wrote on his facebook-wall with a deep sense of regret for his peers and neighboring state Tamil Nadu Police that “for the first time in the history of India since 1861 when the Indian Police Act came into force, Court has ordered for a police station to be taken over by revenue officials. An admission that senior police officers cannot be trusted. What a shame.”

He wrote in the backdrop of the Madras High Court’s direction, passed on Monday directing the district collector to depute revenue officers to take control of the Sathankulam police station.

The magistrate appointed by the Madras HC to probe the alleged custodial deaths of P Jeyaraj and his son J Bennix at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu wrote to the court saying officers of the police station concerned had destroyed evidence, did not cooperate in the investigation and had tried to intimidate the judicial team.

Kovilpatti Judicial Magistrate Bharathidasan told the court that the hostility had eventually forced the judicial team to stop the inquiry mid-way on Sunday night and leave the Sathankulam Police Station, where the father and son were allegedly tortured, leading to their deaths on June 22.

The court also initiated criminal contempt action against Additional SP D Kumar, Deputy SP Prathapan and Constable Maharajan named by Bharathidasan in his complaint. On Monday evening, the TN government passed an order transferring probe into the deaths of Jeyaraj and Bennix to the CBI.

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