THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a one of its kind case, the highest punishment of the land was awarded to two Kerala cops for the murder of a scrap dealer who was subjected to third-degree torture. The death penalty given by a CBI court came at a time when Alwar's Rakbar Khan's death continues to make national headlines over the role played by police. Scrap dealer Udaykumar, 28 was picked up by police in a theft case in September 2005, but was released when he was proved innocent.
However, when he demanded an amount of Rs 4,000 he had on him when he was detained, be returned, both the cops took him to the lock up in Thiruvananthapuram and tortured him. Giving the death penalty to assistant sub-inspector K Jithakumar and civil police officer SV Sreekumar, Judge J Nazer said, “This is a brutal and dastardly murder by accused one and two... The acts of the accused persons would definitely adversely affect the very institution of the police department...” He also said, “If the faith of the people in the institution is lost, that will affect public order and law of the society and it is a dangerous situation.”
Three other accused in the case, TK Haridas, EK Sabu and Ajit Kumar, have been sentenced to three years in jail for destruction of evidence and conspiracy. Haridas is currently deputy superintendent of police, while the other two had served as superintendents of police. Another accused KV Soman died during trial, while a VP Mohanan was acquitted earlier. A penalty of Rs 5,000 each was imposed on all the five convicts.
Prosecution had argued that Jithakumar and Sreekumar, members of the crime squad that took Udayakumar into custody, inflicted grave injuries on him by “rolling” a galvanised iron pipe on his thighs. Judge Nazer said the murder “not only shocked judicial conscience but the conscience of the entire society.”
