With a post-mortem examination pointing to internal injuries due to torture under custody, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of Sreejith in Varapuzha may soon constitute a medical board to inquire further in the case.
Official sources said the SIT might soon approach the Directorate of Medical Education with a request to this effect. The step is based on the post-mortem report, which carries sufficient hints of the youth being subjected to brutal torture, probably with a weapon having no sharp edges.
“The examination has detected damage of internal tissues of his right and left thigh, a condition that generally arises due to rolling heavy objects,” they said.
The police surgeon who performed the autopsy had identified 18 ante-mortem injuries, including contusions at the root of the nose, on both arms and on the left side of the lower abdomen. It also found that the small intestine of the youth had broken, again pointing to continuous assault in the lockup.
The SIT is also exploring options to subjecting the accused policemen to narcoanalysis, besides examining details of their phone calls. The step is being initiated in the wake of the SIT failing to zero in on the officers who had assaulted the youth as both the Varapuzha police and the defunct Rural Tiger Force (RTF) were passing the buck.
In what may spell further trouble for the RTF, a key witness in the case, identified as Viju, told mediapersons that Sreejith had been beaten up before being brought to the Varapuzha station. He kept on complaining about unbearable pain in the abdomen due to police assault, Viju said.
The relatives of Sreejith have demanded a CBI probe into the episode, citing inappropriateness in the Kerala Police investigating a case against fellow officers. Further, they have also demanded an inquiry into why the doctors at the taluk hospital failed to detect the serious condition of the youth.
Meanwhile, the SIT on Tuesday took the co-accused of Sreejith in the suicide case of Vasudevan into custody for three days.
