Demanding a CBI probe into the murder of remand prisoner Muthu Mano inside Palayamkottai Central Prison on Thursday last and registration of a murder case against prison staff “for failing to prevent the crime”, the family of the deceased continues the protest at his native place Vagaikulam near Moontradaippu along with members of various Dalit outfits.
“Until our demands are met, we’ll not accept the body,” said the protesters, who observed a fast on Tuesday.
Muthu Mano and his associates A. Chandrasekar, 22, and M. Murugesan, 19, both from Pottaiyadi, and S. Kannan, 23, of Bethania were arrested on April 8 for allegedly attempting to murder an 18-year-old boy from a village near Panagudi and his elder brother in a secluded place near Kalakkad after the boy’s girlfriend asked the duo to come to the spot with ₹25,000. The girl was also booked by the police in this case.
The police seized country-made bombs and four machetes from the foursome.
After being remanded in judicial custody, they were lodged in Srivaikundam sub-jail from where they were shifted to the Palayamkottai prison on Thursday. Even as they were being sent to their cells after the formalities were completed at the prison entrance, a group of prisoners attacked Muthu Mano and the others.
While Muthu Mano, who is already facing criminal cases registered in Kalakkad, Murappanadu and a few more police stations, sustained a grievous head injury and was rushed to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, the others received treatment at the prison hospital. As Muthu Mano suffered a severe blood loss, he died at the hospital in the evening.
Subsequently, Perumalpuram police arrested seven prison inmates – Jacob, Ramamurthy and Maharajan of Thazhaiyoothu, Madasamy and Kumar of Pallikottai and Kannan and Arunkumar of Velloor near Srivaikundam – for allegedly murdering Muthu Mano.
Prison staff Sankarasubbu, Gangadharan, Sam Albert, Vadivel Murugaiah, Anantharaj and Sivan were placed under suspension for failing to prevent the crime.
The relatives of Muthu Mano and the members of Dalit outfits who are participating in the sit-in protest and hunger strike in Vagaikulam said the police should also name Palayamkottai Central Jail officials present near the scene of crime as ‘accused’ in the murder of an inmate.
“Since the CB-CID probe will not bring out the truth and the circumstances that led to the murder of Muthu Mano inside the prison, we demand a CBI probe,” they said.
