Refusing to accept the body of Govindan (45), the suspected robbery accused, who was shot dead by the police in an alleged encounter, family members, accompanied by villagers launched sit-in-dharna in front of the Collectorate here on Monday pressing charter of demands.
Tension mounted at the main entrance of the Collectorate right from morning as large number of people from Usilanakottai, the native village of the deceased, led by G. Bavani, Govindan’s wife and her three daughters, attempted to enter the Collectorate and a strong pose of police prevented them.
In a precautionary move, police forces were deployed at all entry points to the Cllectorate.
Alleging that the encounter was nothing but a planned murder, former civil judge P. Ramaraj and advocate Pasumalai, who were assisting the deceased family, demanded that Sub Inspector of Police J. Thangamuniasamy, who shot Govindan dead, be booked on charges of murder and suspended from service.
They also alleged that the judicial magistrate who conducted inquest, had ordered post mortem without the consent of the blood relatives of the deceased and demanded re-post mortem. After registering a case under SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act, the government should provide compensation to the family and a government job to one of the family members, they said. “We will not accept the body till our demands are conceded,” Mr. Pasumalai said.
A legal committee, headed by Mr Ramaraj has been formed to legally fight the case and it proposed to file a writ petition before the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, seeking CBI probe, he added.
Similarly, a struggle committee headed by G. Kumaran, a villager, has been formed to decide on further course of action and continue the agitation, he said. They proposed to mobilise dalits from other villages and continue the stir, he added. They would stage the stir from morning to evening everyday, he also added.
Govindan was shot dead in an alleged police encounter on the night of April 13, when he hacked a police party in a bid to escape. The body, after post mortem on April 14, is kept at the mortuary in the government headquarters hospital here.
