Dalit man in Chennai dies hours after police custody, probe underway
A 25-year-old Dalit man named Sridhar died hours after he was questioned by the MGR Nagar police in Chennai on Thursday, July 13. In the last two years, this is the third instance in Chennai, where an individual has died hours after police interrogation. Sridhar was first taken in for questioning regarding a theft on July 12 and was asked to come again the next day. Sridhar, who was a sanitation worker, was accompanied by his wife Manju to the station on July 13 and returned home by 1:15 pm. Shortly after, he complained of a burning sensation in his chest and was taken to the KK Nagar Government Hospital where he eventually died.
Sridhar’s family members have raised questions regarding the circumstances leading to his death and are waiting for the post-mortem report. The post-mortem, which was undertaken at the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital, was completed earlier on Friday, July 14, and Sridhar’s body was handed over to his family but the report is still awaited. The post-mortem report will ascertain whether Sridhar has suffered any injuries on his body.
Speaking to TNM, Sridhar’s mother Meena said that her son is survived by his 11-months-old daughter and wife. She added that after the police inquiry on Thursday, her son was vomiting and foaming, following which his wife Manju had rushed him to a hospital. “When he was brought back from the hospital, at home he was vomiting. I hadn’t closely inspected him to confirm if there were external injuries or not. We will base our suspicion based on the post-mortem report,” Meena told TNM.
Meanwhile, the police issued a statement saying that Sridhar suffered seizures on July 13 which resulted in his death. The police also noted that he received treatment for gastric trouble when his wife had taken him to the hospital when he first complained of chest pain. The statement further said that Sridhar was brought dead to the ESI hospital after he developed seizures. A complaint has been filed by Manju and an investigation is underway into Sridhar’s death.
The Chennai police have registered a case under section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and an investigation is underway. It is still not clear why the Chennai police did not prefer a judicial magistrate inquiry under section 176 of the CrPC to investigate the cause of death.
In December last year, 26-year-old Dinesh Kumar from Chennai died hours after he was released from custody by the Kannagi Nagar police. According to his family, the Kannagi Nagar police had hit him several times after arresting him for robbing a cell phone. Hours after he returned home from the police station, Dinesh had experienced nausea and weakness and he eventually died. Dinesh Kumar’s case was later handed over to CB-CID under suspicion of police torture.
In April 2022, 25-year-old Vignesh, a resident of Pattinapakkam who used to offer horse rides at Chennai’s Marina beach, died while he was under police custody. The police had picked him up for possessing marijuana and liquor bottles. Family members of Vignesh alleged that the police had paid Rs 1 lakh indirectly to cover up the alleged custodial death.
Two months after Vignesh’s death, 33-year-old Rajasekar had also died hours after he was arrested by the Kodungaiyur police in Chennai. According to reports, Rajasekar had been picked up by the police in relation to a gold theft case and hours after interrogation, he complained of uneasiness and died.