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Madras high court stays probe into death of woman in Vedaranyam

On December 6, 2018, Ashok in an intoxicated state, picked up a quarrel with her and brutally attacked her.

Chennai:The Madras high court has stayed all further investigation into the death of a woman who died under suspicious circumstances in Vedaranyam, Nagapattinam district, on December 7, 2018. The case was being investigated by the Vedaranyam police who were allegedly influenced by persons in high office, including State Minister O.S. Manian.

Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan who granted the interim stay, ordered notice to the Inspector of Police, Vedaranyam Police Station and DSP, Vedaranyam and posted to June 4, further hearing of a petition filed by G.S. Arumukham, a retired civil judge and uncle of the deceased Soundarya.

Petitioner’s counsel John Sathyan submitted that Arumugham’s brother’s daughter Soundarya got married to Ashok on May 15, 2013 and they have two children. After the wedding it came to light that Ashok was an alcoholic and had other string of bad habits. Habitually in an intoxicated state, he used to physically abuse and attack Soundarya and restrained her from talking to her family.

On December 6, 2018, Ashok in an intoxicated state, picked up a quarrel with her and brutally attacked her. When she was taken to the hospital that night, the doctors on duty declared she was brought dead. On receiving information, the petitioner and other relatives went to the house of Ashok, where the suspicion over the death grew when they saw the injuries on the head and hand on the body of the deceased. When the petitioner and his family demanded post-mortem of the body, Ashok’s family objected to it, he added.

He said the petitioner’s wife went to lodge a police complaint. On coming to know about the same, Minister O.S. Manian who came there allegedly spoke to him to reconcile the matter and not to precipitate the same. After he left the place, the henchmen of Ashok’s family, in an intoxicated state, took over the possession of the body, took it to the cremation ground and burnt the body by pouring petrol. Immediately, the petitioner went to the Vedaranyam police and filed a complaint against Ashok and others including the minister. But the police insisted that the petitioner remove the name of the minister and registered a case only after removing his name. The reluctance and indifference shown by the Inspector and the very fact that the DSP is toeing the very same line shows they have been influenced by persons in high office and so the petitioner filed the present petition to transfer the probe from Vedaranyam police to the CBCID, John Sathyan added.

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