Hand over case to CBI, suspend JM, demand lawyers

Chennai

“Hence, it’s crucial that the case is handed over to an independent agency like the CBI and it’s also imperative that the judicial magistrate is placed under suspension forthwith for, it’s not custodial death but death under judicial custody,” he added.

The advocate stressed that even going by the ‘last seen theory’ wherein the two persons were healthy when they were arrested, the two sub-inspectors ought to be taken into custody for interrogation.

Shock has also been expressed by the observation of Justice PN Prakash hearing the case about police being under severe psychological stress owing to the lockdown and hence needing counselling. Many have questioned the need for such an observation which seems to indirectly justify the death of both the traders. They note that the policemen cannot take shield behind the aspect of stress to get away with the charge of brutal death caused to two innocent traders for mere violation of lockdown norms.

While the demand for the arrest of the police personnel for murder and the suspension of the judicial magistrate, jail warden and the doctor on duty grows as all their negligence contributed to the death of the father-son duo, the compensation provided by the Chief Minister in a hurry has also been drawn for criticism.

It is pointed out that the bid to console the grieving family by offering a pittance of Rs 20 lakh even before the post mortem examination report is out, which interestingly, the court has sought for in a sealed cover, indicates that the government has conceded it to be a sheer case of custodial death and that too in judicial custody.