Custodial death of 2 Dalits: Madurai HC orders 2nd post-mortem

Madurai: The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the authorities to deploy two forensic experts to conduct re-postmortem of the bodies of two poor Dalits who allegedly died in police custody in Virudhunagar district.

Justice S Sundar passed this order on a petition filed by G Mariammal, wife of the deceased, from Nadusoorangudi village in Virudhunagar district, alleging that her husband Ganasekar and his friend Thilagaraj were killed in police custody.

The petitioner said that one Govidaraj had engaged her husband, Thilagaraj and four others for the purpose of excavating sand at Archana riverbed on November 20. In the meantime, a police team headed by one Ayyanar visited the place and chased the workers engaged in mining the sand, she said.

The petitioner claimed that the police team forcefully took her husband and Thilagaraj and killed them, but made it appear as a case of suspicious death. The cops neither informed the village administrative officer nor the family members about their death, but sent their bodies for postmortem to the government hospital in Virudhunagar with sole intention to save the police officials, said R Karunanidhi, advocate appearing for the petitioner.

The advocate also contended that the police officials did not conduct the postmortem as per the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission.
When Mariammal said she was shocked to find contusions and wounds on her husband's body. And injuries were also found in Thilagaraj's body, said the advocate, adding, so far doctors did not provide the postmortem details.

The petitioner requested the court to issue directions to conduct a re-postmortem and also to pay compensation to her family.

After examining the petition, Justice Sundar directed the dean of government Rajaji hospital, Madurai, to assign two independent forensic experts to conduct the second postmortem.