The 32-year-old man’s case came to light during a jail inspection by a judge for victims of police brutality.
The custodial deaths of Jayaraj and Bennix have brought to light other cases of police excess in Tamil Nadu. A 32-year-old man from Tiruchendur in Thoothukudi has alleged that he was assaulted by the police for his Facebook video against DMK MLA Anitha Radhakrishnan. The custodial torture he experienced has left him hospitalised, he said in a complaint to the court.
According to a news report in Indian Express, Manikandan works as a hotel manager in Guruvayur in Kerala. On June 7, the Tiruchendur police travelled 500 km to Guruvayur, from where they picked up Manikandan and brought him back to Thoothukudi district. Manikandan has alleged that he was arrested for a video that he posted on Facebook in January accusing DMK MLA Anitha Radhakrishnan of favouring his Nadar community. While the video went viral, Manikandan alleges that he and his family received threats from the Nadar community.
Indian Express reports that a case “for talking against the Nadar community” was registered against Manikandan. While his father and brother were summoned by the Tiruchendur police on June 6, the following day the police traveled to Guravayur and picked up Manikandan and brought him back to Tamil Nadu.
Manikandan was allegedly beaten with an iron rod and tortured on June 8 and June 9 by policemen at the Tiruchendur station. He was also threatened not to reveal the police brutality to the magistrate at the time of remand and to the doctor during the medical check.
He was sent to judicial remand by Saravanan, the same magistrate who had also ordered the remand of Jayaraj and Bennix. Questions have been raised about Saravanan, who had ‘mechanically’ passed the remand orders of the father and son without physically seeing them or ascertaining their injuries.
Manikandan’s case came to light during an inspection by a district judge. The inspection was based on an order by the Madras High Court to check for other cases of police toture following the custodial deaths of Jayaraj and Bennix. Manikandan is presently in hospital receiving treatment for his injuries.
Source: The News Minute