MADURAI: The Madurai bench of Madras High Court directed State government to provide compensation of Rs 30 lakh in the custodial death case reported in Ramanathapuram in 2012.

R Senthil Kumar, petitioner, stated that his brother R Vengatesan (26) was taken into illegal custody by the Emaneswaram police, Paramakudi taluk on October 3, 2012, and was physically tortured to death.

On the same day when Vengatesan went to Paramakudi to appear before the Judicial Magistrate, eight cops took him to Emaneswaram station, where he was detained. In the name of inquiry, Vengatesan was brutally attacked and tortured by police personnel. He sustained injuries all over his body and succumbed to death at 6 am, on October 4, 2012. However, the police claimed that Vengatesan suffered from illness while he was in custody and died.

It was unfortunate that earlier Vengatesan was implicated in a jewel theft case in 2010. The police came up with a false case to implicate Vengatesan.

Citing these, the petitioner sought departmental action against the police personnel responsible for causing death and direct the government to provide adequate compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the victim’s family. Justice P Dhanabal ordered that legal heirs including the mother, wife, and son of the deceased are entitled to compensation of Rs 30 lakh.