Thiruvananthapuram: The district collector has ordered a magisterial probe into the death of a remand prisoner while under treatment at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (TMCH) on Thursday night. The probe was ordered following the complaint filed by the prisoner’s relatives. The deceased Aji Kumar (37), son of Manikantan Ashari of Panayil Puthenveedu near Mavarathalakonam at Njandoorkonam was the third accused in a case registered at Mannanthala police station for assaulting one Vishakh (36).
Alleging custodial torture as the reason for the death, the relatives of Kumar disrupted the postmortem procedures until the revenue divisional officer (RDO) assured a transparent probe. The inquest and autopsy were held later in the presence of RDO.
However, the doctors said that Kumar died of ‘septic shock’ caused due to a viral fever. The state human rights commission has also directed the city police commissioner to conduct a probe into the incident and submit a report within four weeks. The Mannanthala police said the allegation levelled by the relatives were baseless as he was examined by doctors five times before being sent to jail.
“There were some contusions on his body during the medical examination and he told the doctors that he had a fall a week before the arrest. It was recorded and the doctors found no new injury or wound on his body,” said Mannanthala SHO Baiju A.
Kumar and other accused were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days on June 4. On June 6, he collapsed inside the jail and was rushed to TMCH.
However, the relatives alleged that Kumar was healthy till he was presented before the magistrate.
