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The family of an Adivasi man have alleged that he was tortured to death in the custody of forest department officials in Tiruppur district. The man, identified as P Marimuthu, is said to have died on July 31.
Forest officials claim he died by suicide in the bathroom of the Udumalpet Forest Range Office. However, the family and activists have alleged that there are injuries on Marimuthu’s body that are inconsistent with the forest department’s claim.
Marimuthu belongs to the Muthuva community and was originally from the Mel Kurumalai settlement in Tiruppur district. Before his death, he had been living with his wife, Pandiyammal, and daughters M Sindhu and Radhika in Suriyanelli near Munnar in Kerala.
Marimuthu was acquitted on July 29 in a ganja case. Activists allege he had been falsely accused. He had previously been out on bail and moved to Suriyanelli, allegedly due to continued harassment by Tamil Nadu forest officials.
On July 30, Marimuthu visited the Udumalpet court to complete paperwork related to the acquittal. After this, he is said to have boarded a government bus to Suriyanelli.
According to the family, around 3:00 pm, the bus was stopped at the Chinnar check post, which is a Tamil Nadu-Kerala border crossing. He was allegedly taken into custody by the Kerala Excise Department and handed over to Kerala forest officials. His custody was then transferred to forest officials in Tamil Nadu. Marimuthu was accused of having leopard teeth in his possession.
Close to midnight, Marimuthu was allegedly taken to the Udumalpet forest range office. Calling this an illegal detention, activists add that Marimuthu was tortured in custody. They also say that Marimuthu’s family was not notified that he had been detained.
Forest officials claim Marimuthu took his own life at around 4.30 am on July 31.
However, his family alleges that Marimuthu had injuries on his hands, head, and neck. Activists add that forest officials moved his body before notifying the police.
Sindhu has submitted a petition to the Udumalpet police, alleging that her father was illegally detained without their knowledge and raising suspicion in her father’s death.
Marimuthu’s relatives also staged a sit-in protest in front of the Udumalpet General Hospital, where the postmortem examination was conducted in the presence of Judicial Magistrate Nithyakala.
In videos that have surfaced, Communist Party of India–Marxist (CPI–M) members can be seen raising slogans and engaging in discussions with the police.
Protesters have demanded that a case should be filed under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. They have also called for the arrest of the forest department officials allegedly involved in Marimuthu’s death.
After discussions with divisional revenue officials, Marimuthu’s family agreed to receive his body and have taken him to Maraiyur for the final rites.
Meanwhile, the Udumalpet police have registered a case under section 196(2)(a) (magisterial inquiry into death in custody) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Further investigation is underway.