Puthur custodial death: Court directs to probe role of IPS officials

KOCHI: The Ernakulam CJM Court ordered to re-investigate the custodial death case of Sampath, prime accused in the Puthur Sheela murder case. The court directed to probe the role of additional DGP Muhammed Yasin and DIG Vijay Sakhare in the case. A re-investigation was ordered following a plea filed by Sampath’s brother Murukesan for avoiding these two officials.

Sampath died in Palakkad police custody on March 29 in 2010 when Yasin was Thrissur IG and Vijay Sakhare Palakkad SP. The accused involve police officials and constables.

The CBI who probed the case found that Sampath died of police torture. Yasin and Sakhare were accused in the murder case but when the charge sheet was filed after completing the case in the Ernakulam CJM court, the names of the two were removed from the list of accused.

The court who pointed that the CBI probe was not satisfactory, asked on what basis these officials were avoided from the case. There were torture marks on the body of Sampath inflicted by IPS official’s baton. The court criticized the CBI for not finding from whose baton the marks were caused.

The court asked why an investigation was not conducted on the eight telephone calls made by Sheela’s brother A Sathish IAS to Yasin.

The court ordered the CBI to take back the charge sheet filed and said their report cannot be seen as the final report.