Kerala custodial death row: Crime Branch arrests two police officials after autopsy report of Idukki financier confirms torture

Two police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the alleged custodial torture and death of a remand prisoner, Rajkumar in June. The alleged custodial death of a 49-year-old man in Kerala’s Idukki continues

Kerala: Two police personnel, former Nedumkandam SI K A Sabu and Civil Police Officer (CPO) Sajeev Antony, have been detained by Crime Branch today in connection with the custodial death of a remand prisoner at Peeremedu sub jail

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2019

The arrests of sub-inspector KA Sabu and civil police officer Sajeev Antony, who were taken into custody Tuesday, were recorded this morning by the Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, police said. Shortly after his arrest was recorded, Sabu fainted and was shifted to Kottayam Medical College hospital. [caption id=“attachment_4486391” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] Forty nine-year old Rajkumar, a financier at Nedumkandam in Idukki, was taken into police custody in connection with a financial fraud case on 12 June and kept in illegal detention for three days till his arrest was recorded on 15 June. The next day, he was produced before a magistrate court, which remanded him in judicial custody for two weeks. Rajumar was allegedly tortured by police officials at Nedumkandam Police Station following which he died on 21 June at the Peermedu sub-jail. The Opposition Congress-led UDF had put the LDF government in the dock over the custodial death and had raised the issue in the state Assembly demanding judicial probe. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had assured that the government would not protect any erring policeman involved in the case. “No one has the right to keep any person in custody illegally or beat them to death. Such people will no longer be there in the state police service,” Vijayan had told the state Assembly. Four police personnel — including the sub-inspector, assistant sub-inspector and two drivers of Nedumkandam Police Station – were suspended and eight others transferred in connection with the incident. Rajkumar’s death had triggered widespread criticism of the state police and the home department, headed by the chief minister.