Kerala: Two years after Dalit youth Vinayakan's death, father expresses no hope in getting justice

Kerala: Two years after Dalit youth Vinayakan's death, father expresses no hope in getting justice

Father of Dalit youth Vinayakan,19, who committed suicide after allegedly subjected to severe mental and physical torture in Pavaratty Police Station in July last 2017, has said that he has lost all hope in getting justice for his son's death. Vinayakan's mother passed away two weeks ago. Vinayakan's father C.K. Krishnankutty said that his wife died of heartbreak over their child's death and that he will not give up the fight to ensure punishment for those who caused Vinayakan's death.

Following Vinayakan's death, his parents had met Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan but to no avail.

Vinayakan's father alleged earlier that the inquiry into the custodial torture of his son by cops in Pavaratty police station was fully botched up by former investigation officers Valappad circle inspector C.R. Santhosh and then by crime branch DySP (Palakkad) Feroz M. Shafeeque. The police officers who were accused of torturing the youth are back on duty as the investigating team favoured them, he said. 

Vinayakan's father said that the two senior civil policemen K. Rajan and Sreejith who took Vinayakan into custody were suspended from service for a short period and they were reinstated in their positions following a report which found them not guilty. The CPIM -led LDF govt went on suspending them only after the post-mortem report of Vinayakan came out.

In November 2017, the Lokayukta in Thiruvanathapuram had come down heavily on both the CI and DySP for their alleged attempt to save civil police officers of Pavaratty station Sreejith and Sajan who are the accused in the alleged custodial torture of the Dalit youth. The Lokayukta was so upset with the investigation that it ordered making Mr Shafeeque the fourth defense respondent in the case after two CPOs and the state government in a petition before it.

The doctors who conducted postmortem on Vinkayak's body had stated before the Lokayukta that the teenager was subjected to 'brutal manhandling' and there were attempts to tear off his hair and rapture his nipples by pressing it with an object such as pencil. They have also stated that boots were used to stamp on the feet of the victim.