Six policemen arrested in connection with Vignesh custodial death case

This comes hours after Chief Minister MK Stalin told the Assembly that a case of murder was registered against three police personnel based on findings from the autopsy. 
Custodial death victim Vignesh
Custodial death victim Vignesh
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Twenty-seven days after the custodial death of Vignesh in Chennai, the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) has made the first arrests in the case. Six policemen attached to the G-5 secretariat colony police station have been arrested by the CB-CID. The six arrested policemen are: Kumar, head constable; Pavan Raj, head constable; Munaf, writer; Deepak, home guard; and two Armed Reserve (AR) police personnel. The Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has also been invoked against the accused. 

This comes hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin told the Assembly that a case of murder was registered against three police personnel based on findings from the autopsy. As per the conclusions in Vignesh’s postmortem report, there are 13 injuries on his body, Stalin said. The investigation would continue to be conducted by the CB-CID, he had said. 

Vignesh, a Dalit man who made his living on Chennai’s Marina Beach, died after he and his friend Suresh, were taken into custody by the police on April 18. Police have claimed that they were arrested as they found ganja and liquor in the duo’s possession. Police officials have also said that Vignesh had injuries prior to the seizures he got the following morning and this was the cause of death. However, CCTV footage showed Vignesh running with policemen arresting him while showing no indication of a leg fracture as claimed.

A police sub-inspector, a constable and a member of the Home Guards were suspended and probe was initially focussed on the suspicious death of the suspect. The case went to the CB-CID following an outcry against custodial deaths.

The post-mortem report confirmed that Vignesh was wounded and the injuries on his body were inflicted prior to his death. Moreover, the post-mortem report said that he had 13 injuries, including injuries on his face. In the photo clicked by the police soon after his arrest, no injuries are visible. 

The report also stated that apart from the fracture in his leg, he had injuries on his limbs, swellings and abrasions on his face, gluteal region and other parts of the body. Vignesh’s family as well as human rights activists have alleged that Vignesh’s death is a clear case of custodial violence and murder. 

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