Twenty-two-year-old Ramkumar, accused in the infamous Swathi murder case in Chennai allegedly killed himself on Sunday in the Puzhal prison. His family has since decided to move High Court for a CBI investigation. They have demanded that the case is registered as a murder and that the post mortem should be videographed and conducted by doctors of their choice.The petition has been filed at the Madras High Court and is expected to come up before the judge around 2 pm. The family is expected to reach the morgue on Monday afternoon while the post mortem will take place in the evening.
Reacting to his death, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan has asked for a CBI probe.This is not the first time that the Dalit leader has asked for a CBI probe in this case. A week after Ramkumar's arrest, he had called for a CBI probe into the murder case and even questioned if the murder was an incident of honour killing.
"I was called and informed that he was not well and being taken to hospital. They did not tell me anything about suicide. They have killed him and only called me. This is murder. He is inside jail, how do you think he was killed? He was killed by the police and others,” said Paramasivam, Ramkumar’s father.
Ramkumar's sister alleged that he was murdered to end the case. "They wanted him to be silent, they didn't want him to speak up. So he has been killed and the case is over."
Tamilsai Soundarajan of the BJP said that the police should have been more responsible in their approach and that Ramkumar died before his guilt or innocence was established, was saddening. "He died in prison without his guilt being proved and that saddens me very very much. The case is ending with a question mark, without anyone getting clarity," she told Thanthi TV.
Ramkumar’s cousin told the media waiting outside the Royapettah hospital that he found the death suspicious.
According to the police, Ramkumar bit into a live electric wire at the Puzhal prison, where he was lodged while undergoing trial.
CPI State Secretary Mutharasan said that the death was very "suspicious". "He was a prisoner and it's not possible at all for him to have killed himself. Under what circumstances did he bite the electric wire? It's all very suspicious," he told Thanthi TV.
Ramkumar was immediately (around 4 pm) taken to the Royapettah general hospital in Chennai where he was declared brought dead, investigating officer Shankar told The News Minute.
Ramkumar, a resident of Meenakshipuram in Thirunelveli district was arrested on July 1 for allegedly hacking to death Swathi, an IT employee, in the Nungambakkam railway station in the early hours of June 24.
Police had claimed that there was enough evidence to prove that he was the murderer in court.
Post his arrest, investigators claimed that they traced Ramkumar’s whereabouts by tracking his mobile phone which was never switched off.
However, his family had maintained that Ramkumar was innocent and that he was framed.