Parents of R. Balamurugan, who was done to death allegedly by the police, refused to take the body home after post-mortem at Watrap since their demand for booking four police personnel under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was not met.
After failure of parleys with police and revenue officials, relatives of the deceased and human rights activists left the Government Hospital at Watrap after 5 p.m. in protest.
Family members had earlier agreed to the post-mortem after a magisterial enquiry, instead of an RDO probe, was ordered into Thursday's murder of Balamurugan. The police also met the demand for conducting post-mortem by more than two teams of doctors.
The process was also videographed. Judicial magistrate Padmavathi also began the enquiry at the GH.
Earlier, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Muralidharan, told the protestors that it was not possible for him to alter the First Information Report to include the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the names of four accused based on a fresh complaint lodged by Ramachandran, father of the deceased. “Only the judicial magistrate can do it,” he said.
However, representatives of People's Watch and functionaries of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi argued that the magistrate had told them that alteration of FIR was not her job, but only of the police.
Though the post-mortem was over by 2.30 p.m. the agitators refused to take the body home insisting on alteration of the FIR.
Case against police The police had filed a murder case against some unnamed police personnel for the death. However, Mr. Ramachandran, a ruling party functionary, gave a fresh complaint naming four police personnel for “beating his son to death’’.
S. Palaniammal, State coordinator of People's Watch, told The Hindu that it was not clear why the police personnel from Koomapatti brutally beat up Balamurugan, when his father had gone to the station with a complaint of local people assaulting him and his supporters.
The police have registered two cases of attempt to murder against unnamed persons of Koomapatti for assaulting police personnel.
Five police personnel — Sub-Inspector of Police, Raja, Special SIs Mohankumar and Panjupandi and constables Marudhupandi and Ravikumar — were admitted to hospitals with injuries, the police said.
