Chennai: A judicial magistrate (JM) probe had begun into the reported suicide of P. Ramkumar, a remand prisoner charged with Infosys techie Swathi’s murder, on Sunday.
The JM, S. Tamilselvi, arrived at the Government Royapettah Hospital (GRH) mortuary at 9 am, and enquired the doctor that declared Ramkumar dead on arrival there.
She also questioned the doctors who had recorded the death, and issued the death report. She also recorded their inputs on their observations made before the body was moved to the morgue.
After winding up her probe in the GRH, the JM left for Puzhal prison at 10.40 am, and reached the facility at 11.20 am. She enquired Puzhal prison superintendent Anbalagan, deputy superintendent Kumaresan, jailer Jeyaraman, and dispensary in-charge Dr Naveen, and fellow inmates Venkatesan, and Elango.
She also quizzed warden Pechimuthu who was present when Ramkumar reportedly executed his suicide pact by biting of an electrical wiring, which he pulled out after dislodging the power supply junction box present in the dispensary block.
The other persons enquired as part of the probe include the medical staff, and the electricians, present at the time of the incident. In the meantime, the GRH morgue came under thick security cover, and the carriageway on the Royapettah High Road got shrunk due to the fluctuation of the crowd.
Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam founder P. John Pandian who came to the morgue demanded that he be let in to see Ramkumar’s body. However, his request was turned down. He left the spot, after talking to the media persons gathered there.
Karuna, Vaiko demand judicial probe into Ramkumar’s death
Leaders including DMK chief M. Karunanidhi on Monday expressed doubts over the death of Ramkumar, an accused in the murder of techie Swathi and demanded a judicial probe to bring out the truth behind the incident.
“How can electric wires be kept in such a condition that an accused could bite it?. The doubt if Ramkumar bit the wire or somebody pushed the live wire into his mouth will rise to everyone naturally”, Karunanidhi said.
Karunanidhi said Ramkumar had already conveyed his doubts if he would be killed by the police. When he was brought from Tirunelveli, he had expressed such fears according to media reports, he said and added that what Ramkumar had feared had finally happened.
MDMK leader Vaiko said prison officials are responsible for an incident that occurred in prison and demanded a probe under a sitting a Madras High Court judge. The version of the government that he committed suicide by biting a live wire could not be believed and raises doubts, he said.
However, PMK founder S. Ramadoss did not seek an enquiry, but restricted his demand to an explanation from the government. CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan asked “Is the prison very much unsafe and anyone can commit suicide by biting live wire”. He said if If Ramkumar had attempted suicide earlier, the police had more responsibility and duty to protect him”.
