Investigation into the custodial death of K. Sheik Alaudeen (28) on August 7, when police arrested him after he made a vain bid to escape by jumping from a road bridge and died while being taken to hospital, has been transferred to Crime Branch CID police.
Based on the recommendation made by Superintendent of Police N. Manivannan, Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar passed orders recently, transferring the investigation from the district police to the CB-CID.
Inspector of Police Saravanakumar has been appointed as the Investigating Officer in the case, the SP said. The CB-CID police have taken over the investigation even as public interest litigation, seeking a direction to transfer the case to the CB-CID was pending before the Madurai bench of Madras High Court, he said.
Soon after the death was reported, the SP had entrusted the investigation to Asokan, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Prohibition and Enforcement Wing (PEW). With CB-CID police taking over the investigation, Mr. Asokan would hand over the case diary and other files pertaining to the case to the CB-CID police, Mr. Manivannan said.
A day after the Erwadi Dargah police registered First Information Report (FIR) in the case under section 176 (1-A) on August 7, the SP referred the same to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) for Magisterial inquiry, after which, Judicial Magistrate II A. Kannan began the inquiry.
The CB-CID police would investigate into the case, while the Judicial Magistrate would conduct the inquiry, the SP said. No time frame has been fixed for the CB-CID and Magisterial inquiry to submit reports, the SP added. The investigation division of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) had conducted an enquiry into the custodial death. M A Jayasekar Fernando, DSP, SHRC visited the place of arrest and interacted with doctors who conducted post mortem, during his two-day visit to the district.
