MADURAI: The aggrieved relatives of the driver, who died allegedly as a result of assault by three police personnel in Sankarankovil of Tenkasi district, refused to accept the body unless necessary action is taken against those cops.
On the eve of Maha Shivratri, the van driver Murugan (32) while moving his vehicle at the crowded Sankarankovil bazaar on Rajapalayam road accidentally hit an auto-rickshaw from behind. The police personnel on duty at the bazaar area enquired the driver in the wake of the accident and took him to Sankarankovil Town station.
The driver was said to be drunk. However, the driver fainted at the station and the police took him to a nearby private hospital, where a doctor declared him dead. Angered by his death, relatives thronged the police station and sought action against three cops, who allegedly beat the driver. The relatives claimed that his death was caused by those three cops, sources said.
Tenkasi Superintendent of Police T.P. Suresh Kumar said based on a complaint, a case was filed under Section 176 of Cr.P.C., and magisterial inquiry is on to find the cause of death.Local sources said a post-mortem examination on the body was done in Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital on Saturday night. Relatives demanded compensation, a government job for the wife of the victim and a case to be filed under SC/ST Act.