Democracy dead, justice denied, and truth lost: Dharmapuri bus attack victim’s kin

 Justice has been denied after all these years, said Veerasamy, the father of one of the victims Kokilavani, who was burnt alive by three AIADMK men in the Dharmapuri bus torching incident in 2000.

A tearful Veerasamy from Namakkal expressed disappointment over the release of the three life convicts – Neduchezhian, Ravindran alias Madhu and Muniappan – the trio who torched a bus to vent their ire over the Supreme Court judgment against late the AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa in the Pleasant Stay Hotel case.

Three college students – Kokilavani, Gayatri and Hemalatha – died in the incident.  “It pains me that my daughter’s killers are walking out freely today,” he said. An aggrieved Veerasamy blamed the judiciary for changing the verdict each time. “One Judge gives capital punishment. Another Judge commutes it to life term. Does that mean, the verdict by the first Judge was wrong? Democracy is dead, justice is no more, and truth is lost,” he said.

He added that even though his fight for justice seems to be a lost cause, he would persevere alone if he had to.

In March 2016, the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence awarded to the trio to life imprisonment, stating that the incident was not premediated. They have now been released under the State government’s scheme to release prisoners who have served a specific number of years to mark the birth centenary of former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran.

“My heart shudders even now when I think how my daughter was burnt alive. She had endured excruciating pain while being engulfed in flames,” said Veerasamy, adding “It is absolutely shocking that three convicts have been released from prison. They have been released without fulfilling the judgement of the lower court. It cannot be agreed with the Chief Minister’s claim that his party men torched the bus out of ‘emotion’, and the Governor, who initially declines their release, then agrees to it. “When the courts said no, why should the Chief Minister push for it? These men are not martyrs to be treated like this. They are playing politics with our lives,” said the distraught father, not mincing his words.

Kokilavani’s mother, who suffered health setbacks after the brutal killing of her daughter, died last year.

Meanwhile, the members of Students Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest against the release of the three convicts in the case in front of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore.

They shouted slogans against the Governor and Chief Minister for facilitating the release of the three convicts. Earlier, the SFI cadres were denied permission to pay homage to the memorial of the three girls killed in the incident