Demanding judicial inquiry by a sitting judge into the alleged suicide of a 44-year-old woman in Suthamalli after police conducted a search in her house at odd hours on Tuesday, opposition parties submitted a petition to the Collector here on Wednesday.
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Later the representatives of Congress, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK),Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK ) spoke to media persons. They charged the police of high-handedness.
They said the woman, Sakuntala, was living with her two sons after she was separated from her husband. Visiting the house at 1 a.m. under the guise of enquiry was highly condemnable.
The State government should take action against the police officers and also give ₹25 lakh compensation to the family members of Sakuntala.
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However, the police maintained that they had picked up Pradeep, 22, her son from the house for inquiry in connection with a burglary reported in Gomathi Nagar. Based on his confession, the police visited the house where he handed over the stolen goods in the presence of his mother. Later, on his confession, they took him to his uncle’s house, which was nearby, to recover a few more stolen goods.
During this period, the woman had allegedly set fire to herself and suffered severe burns. After the family members raised a hue and cry, the police rushed her to the hospital where she died. Pradeep, a habitual offender, figured in a POCSO Act crime and was behind bars till recently, the police said.