A fresh controversy has erupted in Puducherry after an attempt from some quarters to give a caste colour to the arrest of Murder-accused Senthil Counder.
Senthil, a resident of Thattanchavady was arrested a few days ago in connection with a murder in February this year. While he was produced at a press conference after his arrest, the accused was found sitting on his knees.
After photographs and video footage of the accused found sitting on his knees went viral, fringe elements raised serious objections to the way he was treated and accused the police of acting under the behest of the government against a particular community.
Apart from caste outfits, Member of Parliament R. Radhakrishnan too issued a statement accusing the police of human rights violation.
He accused the police of not showing the same interest in dealing with other cases, including those involving policemen.
Petition to L-G
Meanwhile, Senthil’s father has petitioned the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi to probe into the alleged ill-treatment meted out to his son.
However, Senior Superintendent of Police Rajiv Ranjan (Law and Order) in a detailed clarification said the police “meticulously and scrupulously” followed the directives of the Supreme Court while arresting the accused.
“It is a practice that notorious criminals are produced before the media after the arrest. As such, the proclaimed offender was asked to sit on the floor while addressing the media. However, he choose to sit on his knees and the same is being misinterpreted by some vested interests with ulterior motives,” the officer said.
The SSP further said that Senthil is a notorious criminal involved in several cases of murder, robbery, extortion, and was detained by the Tamil Nadu police under the Goondas Act.
A few months ago, the police had confiscated his property worth ₹40 crore and frozen his bank accounts which had a balance of ₹1.03 crore. The accused did not obey the orders of both the court and the district Magistrate, Mr. Ranjan said.
