Kottayam: Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has ordered a Crime Branch probe into the death of Siby, 40, belonging to the Scheduled Caste, on Saturday following alleged police torture a few days ago.
The LDF has called a district hartal on Monday in protest against the incident and demanded a judicial probe.
Mr Chennithala told reporters here that strict action would be taken against the policemen if they were found guilty.
Siby of Marangattupally Parayil was on ventilator at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital for the last 11 days.
He had sustained serious internal head injuries reportedly after he was taken into custody on June 29 on the charge of drinking at a public place in Marangattupally.
Kottayam district police chief M.P. Dinesh said that Siby suffered the injuries in a drunken brawl with a 16-year-old boy, who hit him on the head with a brick.
The police registered a case of attempt to murder against the boy, a native of Marangattupally.
However, the victim’s parents allege that the police had tortured Siby. He was taken to the Pala general hospital and later to the Kottayam MCH by the police and his relatives.
The doctors of the Kottayam MCH conducted an emergency surgery owing to the internal bleeding and later put him on ventilator.
The SI in charge of the Maranga-ttupally police station, C.A. Georgekutty, who took Siby into custody, was suspended on Friday.
The Human Rights Commission had registered a suo motu case and demanded an explanation from the Kottayam district police chief and the home secretary.
Mr Georgekutty, president of the district police officers association, was transferred to the police control room in Kottayam immediately after the incident.
“This was for his negligence in not conducting the medical tests on the victim who allegedly consumed liquor, and for not admitting him to the hospital. We are ruling out any custodial torture,” D.S. Suneesh Babu, Pala deputy SP, told DC.
LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan demanded filing of a murder case against the police officer and a judicial inquiry into the death.
The inquest and post-mortem of the body will be held on Sunday in the presence of Kochi range IG Ajith Kumar.
The victim Siby is survived by his wife Priya and children Vishnu and Vismayi.
