CHENNAI: Inspector George Ponraj Miller, sub-inspector Kanniappan, head constables Manivannan and Jayasekar and grade-I constable Sathyamurthy of the Kodungaiyur police station were on Monday suspended in connection with the custodial death on Sunday of S Rajasekar alias Appu, a crime offender.
Earlier, after Rajasekar’s postmortem conducted in the presence of judicial magistrate Lakshmi, his family refused to accept the body. His mother R Usha Rani alleged that he died of police torture and that there were many external injuries on the body. “My son was taken to the police station for inquiry on Saturday morning about a jewellery theft. Later, I was told he swooned and was rushed to the Government Stanley Hospital where he was declared dead.” Demanding that the policemen responsible be booked for murder, she said, “The CM should look into the issue.”
A police press release said a team led by inspector George Ponraj Miller nabbed Rajsasekar based on a specific tip. After he said he gave the stolen gold to an autorickshaw driver near Red Hills, police planned to take him there when he complained of nausea and was rushed to a private hospital. He was later taken to Government Stanley Hospital where he died, the release said.
In April, Vignesh, 25, taken into custody in a ganja case, died in custody of the Secretariat Colony police.
Director general of police C Sylendra Babu has sent a circular to all units about the Standard Operating Procedures to be adopted during arrest, custody, interrogation, prisoners’ transit.
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