Villupuram custodial torture case: Glaring inconsistencies in police version

In April, in the midst of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, an alleged case of police custodial torture and the death of a 48-year-old man in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district went largely unnoticed. The victim Raja was arrested by the police for allegedly selling a small quantity of liquor illegally, and died later in the day on the way to a hospital. His family has alleged he was tortured in custody, while the police have denied these allegations. On Wednesday, May 22, Raja’s body was exhumed for a second post mortem on the orders of the Madras High Court and the final report is awaited. TNM met his family in Villupuram, and found glaring inconsistencies in the police’s version of events.

Raja’s wife Anju says she was made to sign blank sheets of paper by the police, who then concocted a fictional series of events to absolve their colleagues. Further, the family has alleged that the Villupuram police tried to convince them to cremate the victim’s body instead of burying it, and lied to the family to mislead them.

Raja belongs to an MBC (Most Backward Classes) community and was working at a canteen near a TASMAC outlet owned by a private individual named Mani; the canteen served liquor to customers without a license. Raja had started working there only 10 days earlier — he was making a living as an auto driver before that.

On April 10, the Villupuram Taluk Police conducted a prohibition raid near Thirupachavadimedu, and arrested Raja for allegedly selling alcohol illegally. They recovered 10 180ml bottles of Men’s Club Brandy from him, according to an FIR registered by the Villupuram Taluk Police. 

What happened after that? The police’s story is very different from Raja’s family’s testimony — and some of the actions of the police by their own admission are illegal.