The immediate suspension of three police officers suspected of being involved in the alleged custodial torture and death of Sajeevan Ponmeriparambil, a Vadakara native, has helped the police manage a critical situation that would have otherwise flown into a rage.
Though there were a series of protests near the Vadakara police station on Friday, the spot action taken by the police higher-ups helped the department make their stance clear on complaints related to custodial tortures, and fend off attempts to politicise untoward incidents.
Suspension order
The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kannur range) issued the suspension order on Friday itself after receiving the preliminary investigation report that held the three officers, including a Sub Inspector, prima facie responsible for the reported lapses. Soon after noticing the complaint, a Deputy Superintendent of Police attached to the District Crime Branch was asked to probe the case. Spot visit of police higher-ups also helped the local team in effective crisis management.
“The police had nothing to do but act promptly on the situation. Understanding this, they quickly moved the legal way sensing the danger behind the impulsive and politically sensitive crowd. It worked well to prevent agitation,” said N. Subhash Babu, former Superintendent of Police, Kozhikode. He pointed out that it was a wise strategy to settle the problem on the spot, and it also set a model in crisis management.
Mr. Babu alleged that there were “political reasons” as well that prompted the police higher-ups to adopt a quicker action plan. “For the State government, it worked well to repel scathing public and political criticisms. The rest of the allegations related to the death can be verified only on the basis of a post-mortem report and further investigation,” he told The Hindu.
Police officers associated with the preliminary investigation said the case would be further probed by the State Crime Branch. A case of unnatural death under section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure had already been registered, they added.
