On Tuesday, December 20, Dinesh Kumar (26) died hours after being released from custody by the Kannagi Nagar police. The deceased’s family has alleged that they suspect police torture as the reason for his death. Dinesh Kumar was arrested for robbing a cell phone near Thoraipakkam and was released with a warning. Close to midnight on Tuesday, he was rushed to Stanley Medical College Hospital after he fainted. However, the hospital pronounced him dead on arrival.
Although media reports suggest that no external injury was found on the deceased’s body after primary investigation, Dinesh’s wife Kowsalya told TNM, “The police hit him in front of me before they released him and he was badly hurt. He was limping from pain when we left the police station.”
Saravanatamilan, a member of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), who had seen the deceased’s body, seconded Kowsalya’s claims that Dinesh had been hit. Meanwhile, the police allege that Dinesh, who had more than 10 pending cases against him for theft and murder threats, could have been injured after engaging in a quarrel with someone else after his visit to the police station. The post mortem (which is being carried out in the presence of a magistrate) report is awaited.
The police claim that Dinesh and his friend Ramachandran robbed a phone from Stephan who was traveling in a bus. While Ramachandran managed to escape with the phone, Stephan, with the help of other commuters, caught Dinesh and handed him over to the police. The police had then called Dinesh’s wife Kowsalya and asked her to get the phone from Ramachandran and submit it at the police station.
Dinesh was released with a warning after Kowsalya brought back the stolen phone, but he had to be taken to a nearby hospital for medical assistance. “He was weak, so they gave him treatment and asked us to give him juice, and sent us home,” Kowsalya said. However, later in the night, he fainted after experiencing nausea and weakness. He was rushed to the hospital for a second time, but died on the way.
The DYFI began protesting inside Stanley Medical College Hospital on Wednesday, demanding a judicial inquiry. Saravanatamilan also alleged that Chennai Mayor Priya Rajan’s father, R Rajan arrived at Stanley Hospital on Wednesday. “He has been bargaining in the mortuary with Kowsalya. He is suggesting that he will help and is advising her to not press charges,” he added. Kowsalya clarified that ‘help’ was offered but there were no monetary promises made. “He asked me to think and proceed cautiously,” she added.
Speaking to TNM, Rajan, who is also a ward level DMK leader, denied the bargaining allegation and said, “I only went there to support the deceased’s family and offer help.” He added that he rushed to the hospital because the deceased belongs to his constituency and claimed to have known the family. In September this year, Rajan was spotted by TNM at the hospital following the death of the Dalit youth Akash. He had died eight days after he was taken into custody by Chennai’s Otteri police. He was picked up by the police on September 21 for allegedly damaging the window of a car at Ayanavaram Railway Quarters, and was let off from the station on the same day. Akash’s family had also alleged that there was police torture.