A 46-year-old tribal man, who died within a day of being in judicial custody in Tiruvannamalai after being arrested on the charge of selling arrack, suffered injuries before his death, an autopsy report has revealed.
The report said K. Thangamani suffered irregular open wounds on the lower part of the right arm, back of the right elbow and back of the upper left forearm. All these injuries would have occurred between 12 and 24 hours before his death.
“A dark red bone deep contusion, measuring 4x3 cm, on the back of the left hand near the little finger was also found. The injury could have happened at least six hours prior to his death,” the report said.
Detailing the internal injuries of the deceased, the report said the head, including the scalp, skull orbital and nasal cavities, were intact. The brain did not show any abnormalities, and the condition of the neck tissues was also normal. However, an irregular linear incomplete fracture (resuscitation injury) on the third and fourth rib on the left side along the midaxillary line was identified.
The autopsy report also mentioned extravasation of blood on the inner surface of the ribs. The report said that the deceased had his tongue bitten firmly between the teeth of his upper and lower jaw.
The postmortem examination was done by Dr. Kamalakannan and Dr. A.H. Sugan Chander, assistant professors, Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital. The autopsy was donein front of the Judicial Magistrate - II (Tiruvannamalai) on April 28.
K. Thangamani, from Thattaranai hamlet, who belonged to the Kuravar tribal community, was picked up from his house on April 26 by the Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW). He was brought to the Tiruvannamalai East police station around noon and questioned. The police said Thangamani had 22 cases, mainly related to prohibition, against him and had been convicted in four.
After routine medical tests at the Government Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital, he was remanded in judicial custody. He was lodged at the sub-jail around 6.30 p.m. the same day.
On April 27, he developed a seizure around 9 a.m. and was rushed to the hospital. He was treated as an out-patient and discharged. Around 4.30 p.m., he suffered another seizure in his cell. He was taken to the hospital, where a team of doctors treated him. But he died at 8.30 p.m.
However, Thangamani’s family members, led by his wife T. Malar and son, demanded an inquiry into his death, alleging that he had been tortured while in custody. Chief Minister M. K. Stalin said an in-depth investigation would be conducted in the matter, and the custodial death case was transferred to the CB-CID.
