Death in Police custody: SHRC directs TN government to pay Rs 10 lakh to deceased's kin
The Commission had taken suo moot cognisance of media reports about the death of N Gokulakannan, a casual labourer, who was picked up for questioning as he was a suspect in a murder case in Karumalaikoodal police limits.
CHENNAI: State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the Tamil Nadu government to compensate Rs 10 lakh to the family of a 22 year old youth who died while under the custody of Salem district police in 2015. The Commission further recommended that the disciplinary action, if already initiated against the erred personnel, be completed within three months time.
The Commission had taken suo moot cognisance of media reports about the death of N Gokulakannan, a casual labourer, who was picked up for questioning as he was a suspect in a murder case in Karumalaikoodal police limits.
A special team comprising seven police personnel including two sub inspectors had picked up Gokulakannan from his residence on July 6, 2015 (a day after the murder of Palanisamy (23)).
During the course of 'enquiry', Gokulakannan developed health complications after which he was taken to a hospital where he was declared as brought dead.
Subsequent protests by Gokulakannan's family members were quelled by promising action against the concerned police personnel. In their response, the police personnel submitted that Gokulakannan already had injuries from a previous scuffle with the deceased in the murder case they were investigating, when he was taken for enquiry. To this, the commission observed, "This story is a cooked up story by the police and the same is an afterthought and hence the same was not believable one"
The Commission also took note of the Salem district collector's enquiry report which stated, "Since there is gross negligence of duty on the part of SI Hariharan of Mettur PS, Head Constables Mathanasekaran and Elango of Karumalaikoodal PS, who were entrusted with the primary responsibility of taking care of the accused, in having failed to send the injured person to the hospital in time for treatment and having failed to report the matter immediately to the superior officers concerned and since the issue is a sensitive one affecting the police image, a report was sent to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Coimbatore, I/c Salem Range,
recommending for their suspension pending enquiry contemplated against them.
After going through the submitted evidence, SHRC member V Kannadasan held that there was human rights violation on part of the concerned police personnel and directed the government pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the deceased's family. which shall be recovered from the seven police personnel.
