Theni driver dies in Madurai police station; CB-CID begins probe

MADURAI: A 42-year-old driver from Theni allegedly died by suicide in the restroom of the Chekkanurani police station on Saturday, where he had gone to help the police probe a vehicle fire. His family has raised suspicion over his death, alleging he was kept in illegal custody and the police were trying to falsely implicate him in the case.

Three police personnel, including Chekkanurani station inspector M Muthu Kumar, have been suspended. South Zone Inspector General of Police Vijayendra Bidari said to ensure transparency and an impartial investigation, a judicial magistrate inquest has been requested and the case has been transferred to the CB-CID for a thorough investigation. The IG added that the station’s CCTV footage of the day of the incident has been preserved.

According to preliminary information, the deceased, Balakrishnan, went to the restroom attached to the inspector’s room around 6 am. “When Balakrishnan did not come out even after nearly 15 minutes, the police went inside to check and found him lying unconscious, apparently after a suicide attempt,” an officer said, adding that the restroom door was not locked when Balakrishnan used the toilet.

“The police did not torture him in custody, and the CCTV footage clearly shows Balakrishnan entering the restroom,” the officer said.

Police personnel rushed him to Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, where doctors declared him dead.

Balakrishnan worked as a driver for a delivery company, operating an Eicher goods vehicle. The police said that in the early hours of November 3, Balakrishnan’s vehicle caught fire near the Valandur Tank Bund when he was on the way from Thevaram to Madurai, transporting parcels and cardamom. The fire destroyed the goods on board, and Balakrishnan lodged a complaint.

The Valandur police registered a case under the relevant provisions for accidental fire. As part of the investigation, he had gone to Chekkanurani police station to help the police review CCTV footage related to the case.

His wife, Sudha (32), alleged that the police unlawfully kept him in custody for the entire night under the pretext of an inquiry. “When my husband last spoke to his advocate around 4 pm, he told him the police were trying to falsely implicate him in a theft case,” she said, breaking down in tears.

Referring to her two adolescent children, who were with her at the mortuary, Sudha said their future was now uncertain. “They are not even allowing us to see his body,” she said. The family has said it will not accept the body until justice is served.

Sudha said she had accompanied her husband to the station on November 12, when the police called him for questioning. “They made me wait outside and questioned him from 8 pm to 12 midnight. They did not give him any food,” she alleged.

She did not accompany him the next day because she believed it would be a routine inquiry. The police seized his mobile phone and did not allow her to speak to him, she said. When she called the station around 2 am, the police told her they were keeping him there only to check the CCTV footage.

Asked about the family’s allegations, the police said the CB-CID investigation would throw more light into the case.

Henri Tiphagne, executive director of People’s Watch, a human rights non-profit, said that if the police wanted to question Balakrishnan, they should have followed due procedure by registering an FIR and issuing a notice. “It is good that the case has been transferred to the CB-CID, but the police should register a murder case. And this case is fit for the immediate arrest of the police inspector and two other constables to ensure police accountability,” Tiphagne said.

He further added that the police should follow the guidelines for postmortem examination laid down by the High Court in the Santosh vs District Collector verdict and that a copy of the station’s CCTV footage should be handed over to the family.

Meanwhile, judicial magistrate Anand Raj has begun an inquiry and ordered a CT scan of the body. A three-member team of doctors is expected to conduct the post-mortem examination on Sunday.