Announcement at the press conference!!
Last April 10, 2024 Villupuram Raja, a resident of the GRP Street, was caught by the Taluk Police Station police and tortured to death. The Police registered a case of suspicious death and the autopsy was completed within 20-30 minutes. Also, the police threatened the victim’s family to burn the body.
Anju, the deceased Raja’s wife, filed a case in the Madras High Court seeking a re-postmortem. On 17.05.2024, Justice Mr. R. Sakthivel ordered that ‘within 8 days re-autopsy should be conducted, video recording should be done, autopsy report, video recordings should be given to Anju immediately, the Police Station CCTV camera recordings should be preserved.’
On 22.05.2024, Raja’s body was exhumed and a team of forensic science experts comprising Dr. Sadhasivam of Madurai Medical College and Dr. Ramalingam of Chennai Medical College conducted a 6-hour re-postmortem at Mundiambakkam Government Medical College Hospital, Villupuram. Later, the Collector asked to keep the Raja’s body in the mortuary instead of giving it for reburial. At present the body is in the Villupuram Government Medical College Hospital Mortuary.
Yesterday (23.05.2024) at 12.30 pm, Rama Devi, Dean of Government Medical College Hospital, handed over the 26-page autopsy report, video recordings to Anju. At present, these have been handed over to Senior Advocate Henry Tiphane and forensic science experts are being consulted.
In this case, at 4.00 pm on 24.05.2024, the District Collector gave a letter to the victim Anju through the Village Administrative Officer. In it, referring to the High Court Judgment of ‘Santhosh v. The District Collector, Madurai’, it has been asked that ‘after the completion of the second postmortem, you should write whether you intend to file a case in the High Court again’. The Collector has decided to keep the body in the mortuary without giving it away till then.
This action of the Collector is a flagrant violation of the High Court order, denying the legal rights of the victim Anju. Anju has given a 5-page reply letter to the District Collector. In it, he said that there is no need to write it down.
In this case, on 24.05.2024, at 11 am, a press conference was held at Villupuram Shanthi Nilayam. People’s Watch State Coordinator I. Aseerwatham, Federation for People’s Rights Secretary G.Sugumaran, People’s Protection Kazhagam President P.V.Ramesh, Intercaste Marriage Couples Association President A. Balamurugan spoke. Victim Anju was present.
The body of Raja should be given to the family immediately after the completion of the re-postmortem. Otherwise, we will file a case in the High Court through which we will get the body and bury it. It was also announced that legal action will be taken against Villupuram Collector Dr. C. Palani.
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