Winning a legal suit against law enforcement agencies is always a challenge. Implementing it can be, in most cases, an even bigger challenge.
So, it was encouraging to see the Kerala police paying compensation to the family of Sreejeev, a 27-year-old, who died after torture in the custody of the Parasala police. On October 15, two policemen from the Parasala station handed over two demand drafts for Rs.5 lakh each to the victim’s mother and elder brother.
The step, possibly the first of its kind in the State, is in compliance with a recommendation by the Kerala State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA), which had earlier confirmed custodial violence as the cause of his death.
Confirming the award of the amount, a top officer expressed the hope that the step would help bring this dark chapter in the history of the Kerala police to a close. “This is an essential step in righting a wrong, removing a stain on the reputation of the force which is known for its established tradition of strong adherence to the rule of law’’, the officer said.
The SPCA is planning to file a chargesheet against the delinquent officers and has constituted a special investigation team for the purpose.
An independent probe by the SPCA revealed that Sreejeev, who had been taken into police custody on May 19, 2014, was brutally tortured by Circle Inspector Gopakumar and ASI Philippose with the support of civil police officers Vijayadas and Prathapachandran. It also revealed that the mahassar (inquiry report) prepared by sub-inspector D.Biju Kumar was factually incorrect and misleading.
Hiran Unnikrishnan
