Less than 10 days after the custodial death of 25-year-old Vignesh in Chennai, yet another case of a man dying in judicial custody has been reported in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai district. Thangamani (48) was arrested on April 26 on charges of brewing arrack illegally, and the next day, he died in jail. His family alleges that he was assaulted by the police and not taken to a hospital for treatment, and that this was a case of judicial death. Thangamani was a farmer from Thattaranai village in Tiruvannamalai district.
According to Thangamani’s family, days before his arrest, the police had approached them and demanded a payment of Rs 2 lakh, claiming it was a fee to not have him arrested. However, the family refused this. “The police came to our house on April 21 and asked for my father. But as he was not present at home that time, they took his bike. Police inspector Nirmala and SBCID officer Palani were the ones who came — they took the vehicle, threatening us that they would book my father if we didn’t give the money. When we refused, they abused us using our caste names,” his son Dhinakaran (25) alleged. Thangamani and his family belong to the Malaikkuravar community, which falls under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
According to Dhinakaran, the police told them that it would cost more than Rs 2 lakh to free Thangamani from jail if they decided to book him, and demanded the payment. “However, my father refused to give it. So, on the morning of April 26, he was taken to the police station. On April 27, our councillor was informed that he is dead,” he said.
The family alleged that Thangamani was taken to the police station by Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) Inspector Nirmala and PEW constables Jayachandran and Jayakumar. They also alleged that the charges on which Thangamani was arrested were false. He was taken to the Tiruvannamalai sub-jail on the morning of April 26.
“My husband was assaulted by the jail supervisor and other police so much that he hurt his tongue and lost so much blood,” Thangamanai’s wife Malar alleged in her complaint to Superintendent of Police (SP) Pavan Kumar Reddy. Suspecting that this was an instance of custodial death, the family has sought the SP to investigate into the matter.
Malar also said in her complaint that on the evening of April 27, the police contacted her saying that Thangamani was admitted to the Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital, and that he was in a critical condition. She also alleged that after her husband’s death, they were threatened by the officers in question to not inform their superiors about the incident.
According to Dhinakaran, the family was allowed to see Thangamani’s body only on April 27, and not on April 26 when he died. “His body was full of injuries, especially in his face. We were not asked for consent before carrying out his postmortem also. Around a decade back, there were similar murders in our village. As no one will talk for us, whenever the police have no case, they will come and arrest people of our community and slap false cases,” he said.
The police’s version is that, while he was in judicial custody, Thangamani suffered seizures due to “alcohol withdrawal”.
Speaking to TNM, Thiruvannamalai SP Pavan Kumar Reddy said that it was not a custodial death but a judicial death. “He was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. But he got seizures due to alcohol withdrawal and was admitted to hospital. But later discharged and brought back to jail, where he again got seizures and was taken to hospital. But he died at the hospital,” he said and added that an enquiry is on regarding the family’s allegations against the police personnel. “However, this is the 19th case on Thangamani,” he said.
The family, in the petition, has also alleged that this was not the first instance of police high-handedness in the village. “Inspector Nirmala, Sub Inspector Suman and other police officials prompted a few residents to brew arrack, which is illegal, and sought Rs 1 lakh as bribe each month,” they alleged.
When TNM contacted Vellore Range DIG Annie Vijaya, she said that the allegations are being enquired upon. When asked about the allegation of custodial murder, she said, “They are not at all correct. He was remanded to the prison, where he died of health issues. Actually, he died in the hospital. A postmortem is being carried out to find out the cause of death.” Further, she also refuted the allegations against the police personnel that they demanded for a bribe and other allegations. “However, an inquiry is on,” she added.
Meanwhile, Coordinator of AIADMK O Paneerselvam has issued a statement regarding the case, stating that there was a doubt over the police’s involvement in Thangamani’s death, as he was in good health when he was arrested. “Further, it is also known that the family were not allowed to meet the collector when they had gone to submit a petition. Thangamani’s son has also alleged that they were asked for money, which raises suspicions,” he said. He further condemned the DMK and sought a CBI enquiry into the matter and a Rs 50 lakh ex-gratia to Thangamani’s family.
திருவண்ணாமலை மாவட்டத்தை சேர்ந்த விசாரணை கைதி திரு. தங்கமணி அவர்கள் மர்மமான முறையில் உயிரிழந்ததற்கு காரணமான திமுக அரசுக்கு கடும் கண்டனம்.
— AIADMK (@AIADMKOfficial) April 29, 2022
மாண்புமிகு கழக ஒருங்கிணைப்பாளர் திரு. @OfficeOfOPS அவர்கள். #CustodialDeath pic.twitter.com/6wz2sUYNNi
Further, when opposition leader and AIADMK joint-coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami raised the issue in Assembly, Chief Minister MK Stalin said that a postmortem was conducted in front of a judicial magistrate. "The results are awaited and proper enquiry will be conducted in the case," he said.