7-year RI for Inspector, two cops over custodial death of retd CRPF jawan in Vellore 10 years ago

CHENNAI: An Inspector with Tamil Nadu police and two of his subordinates – a Special Sub-Inspector and a Head Constable were sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment by a sessions court in Vellore on Monday in connection with the death of a man, a retired CRPF jawan, while in their custody ten years ago in Vellore district. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the convicted cops which is to be given to the victim's wife.

The convicted cops are Inspector M Muralidharan, SSI K Inbarasan and Head Constable S Umachandran – all attached to the Gudiyatham taluk police station when the incident happened in 2013.

Police had initially claimed that victim D Gopal alias Gopi had strangulated himself to death using the leading chain with which he was tied up. However, the post-mortem report said there was no "fatal pressure on the neck structure".

The case was eventually transferred to the CB-CID after repeated petitions from the victim's kin and the accused cops were booked under sections of the IPC including 331 (causing grievous hurt to extort confession), 348 (wrongful confinement to extort confession),167 (public servant framing an incorrect document) among others. A case under section 302 (murder) was not registered against the accused despite petitions from family members insisting on the same.

According to the deposition by the victim's wife Sumalatha, Gopal retired in September 2012 after serving in the CRPF for 23 years. He then ran a poultry farm in Lingundram near Gudiyatham.

On the night of September 29, 2013, just over a year into his new phase of life as an entrepreneur, Gopal was picked up by two plainclothes policemen from his poultry farm in connection with the investigations into the murder of Sugumar, a school teacher. The next day, his wife learned from a worker on the farm that her husband was taken for inquiry by policemen.

On October 1, Gopal was rushed to the hospital where he was declared as brought dead. While the cops involved and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) too were suspended immediately after the incident, CB-CID took over investigations into the case and a final report was filed before the Principal Sessions Judge, Vellore in July 2023.

During the framing of the charges, section 304 (ii) of IPC (an act likely to result in death) too was slapped against the accused. After over ten months of trial, Principal Sessions Judge Dr P Murugan held the accused guilty under most charges including sections 331 (causing grievous hurt to extort confession) and 304 (ii) of IPC, for which they were sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The judge also directed the Vellore Superintendent of Police (SP) to initiate departmental action against the then Station House Officer of Melpatti police station, where the victim was confined.

Sections slapped

Apart from sections 331 and 304 (ii) of IPC for which the accused were found guilty and sentenced to seven years, they were also found guilty under sections 348, 167 and 218 of IPC, for which they were sentenced to two years and also found guilty under sections 346 and 203 of IPC for which they were awarded one year imprisonment. The sentences are to run concurrently