Demanding a fresh postmortem on Syed Imthiyas (24), whose body was found near railway tracks in Omalur, his parents refused to receive the body at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital here on Friday. They also demanded that a murder case be registered and those who perpetrated the crime be arrested.
The youth’s death triggered tension in the hospital premises on Friday as members of various Muslim and Dalit outfits, along with parents Syed Sultan and Piyari Begum, refused to receive the body.
Mr. Syed told the media that his son left home at 11 p.m. on January 20 while speaking on mobile phone angrily, and his body was found near the track the next day. "He was in love with a girl belonging to a Hindu community. He was warned to give it up. He was murdered," he added.
Cadre of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), and other outfits submitted petition to Collector P.A (General) M. Tamilrajan.
Their demands include re-autopsy by a team with a doctor representing them, video graphing the entire postmortem process, Rs. 25 lakh compensation for the victim’s family, transfer of case from Dharmapuri Railway police to local police, altering the section as murder and the arrest of the accused.
Members also questioned why the autopsy was hurriedly conducted without the parents' permission and also after 4 p.m. when the law permits postmortem only till 4 p.m. "We need an answer for why the police insisted on the postmortem," they added. They also threatened to carryout a State-wide protest if their demands were not met.
P. Vijayakumar, Superintendent of Police, Railways, along with other officials, began investigation on Friday.