Thiruvananthapuram: A 29-year-old youth has been staging a sit-in in front of the Secretariat for the last 429 days. And with his plea for justice falling on deaf years, the youth has launched a fast which crossed 14 days on Sunday. Sreejith, hailing from Parassala in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, has been seeking legal actions against those responsible for the death of his brother Sreejeev.
Sreejeev who was taken into custody by the Parassala police on May 19, 2014 on charges of mobile phone theft had died at Medical College hospital two days later on May 21. Apart from Sreejith, he left behind mother Remani and another brother Sreeju, who is suffering from physical difficulties caused by an accident.
“Despite the State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) finding that the cause of death was custodial torture, it is unfortunate that the police was going slow on any action against the accused cops. I had even taken up the matter with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. But nothing has happened yet,” said Sreejith.
A probe by the SPCA found that then Parassala circle inspector Gopakumar and additional sub-inspector Philipose were guilty of misconduct involving brutal physical assault of Sreejeev while in custody, which led to his death.
“We have got the Rs 10 lakh compensation ordered by SPCA. But that would not bring justice as those responsible for his death are still roaming around,” said Sreejith who had left his private job to fight for justice.
