Youth commits suicide over alleged police torture

Thiruvananthapuram: A  youth who was allegedly tortured by policemen on the eve of his birthday celebrations leaped  to death from the third floor of Handloom Bhavan building at Rajaji Nagar on Sunday night, minutes after he was released on bail.

The deceased,  Sujith alias Jithu, 20, son of Sunil Kumar, was taken into police custody for causing public nuisance after getting drunk. As per  city police commissioner H. Venkatesh, the youth was detained from Bakery Junction based on a complaint received on phone and visual evidence.   

However, as per the boy’s friends and relatives, he was picked up by policemen when he was waiting in a queue for buying more liquor after getting drunk. The police allegedly roughed up Jithu and his friend Jomon in the police station. Jomon  has been  admitted to  General Hospital.   

On being released  around 9.30 p.m.,  Jithu climbed the eight-foot compound wall of the building, ran atop through the staircase and leaped onto the road evading onlookers who tried to stop him.

Jithu’s inquest was done in the presence of RDO and the autopsy report does not suggest any torture, the police  said.    

Cantonment SI Sivakumar said that the youth was earlier also accused of  extortions and brawls. However, neighbours said he had worked hard as a mason and newspaper boy. He also used to work in thattukada and was taking private classes to clear Std. XII  in which he had flunked.

The locals claim that the police rough up innocent youth from the colony as revenge for a recent attack on a few policemen by miscreants who also hail from the same colony.

In June last year, Aneesh, 19, an auto driver, had alleged repeated physical torture by the cantonment police who wanted to extract from him a confession  that he had stolen a gold chain.