The Crime Branch probe into the death of S.R. Sreejith due to alleged custodial torture took a a surprise turn on Saturday with the investigator confirming that at least seven of the nine persons arrested in connection with the suicide of Vasudevan had been wrongly arraigned as accused.
In a report submitted before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in North Paravur on Saturday, the investigation agency submitted that the charge of abetment of suicide under IPC Section 306 shall not hold against the accused.
Confirming the report, official sources said at least seven of the accused in the case were not even present at the location during the attack against Vasudevan’s house. According to them, the investigation agency would now have to probe the case a second time by combining it with the case over the attack on Vasudevan’s house. ‘‘It does not mean that the case has been annulled but it will have to be investigated all over again,’’ they held.
The Varapuzha police had earlier registered two separate cases in connection with these incidents. The first, second, third and sixth accused in the case Vipin, Vinju, Thulasidas and Ajith respectively were yet to be arrested.
Meanwhile, the court on Saturday dismissed the bail applications filed by the three policemen arrested in connection with Sreejith’s death. The policemen, identified as Jithin Raj, Santosh Kumar and Sumesh, were members of the now defunct Rural Riger Force, a special squad formed under A.V. George, District Police Chief, Ernakulam Rural (now transferred).
Earlier in the day, the District Additional Sessions Court granted bail to all the nine accused in the suicide abetment case, including Sajith, younger brother of the deceased Sreejith.
Later, the court remanded the former Varapuzha sub-inspector G.S. Deepak in judicial custody for 14 days. A remand report submitted by the Crime Branch stated that Sreejith had been assaulted even inside the police station lock-up.
