Malappuram: The probe team of the Crime Branch in charge of the controversial Tanur custodial death case slapped murder charges against four District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) members here on Saturday. Senior Civil Police Officer Jinesh, Civil Police Officers Albin, Jinesh and Vipin are named as accused in the case related to the death of Thamir Jifri.
The crime branch submitted its probe report before Parappanangadi Judicial First Class Magistrate Court here on Saturday.
The cops who took Thamir Jifri into custody landed in trouble after autopsy report cited brutal physical assault as the cause of his death.
Thamir Jifri (30), one of the five youths caught by the Tanur police in a drug trafficking case, died early on August 1. The post-mortem report of the Mampuram man revealed police assault as one of the causes of his death.
The probe team was under fire over the delay in slapping murder charges on the accused. Crime Branch, which started the investigation on August 2, has not named anyone accused in the case even after a three-week-long investigation. The High Court on Friday asked the investigation officers to submit their case diary in the court on September 7 following a suit filed by Thamir Jifri’s brother.
“The police have tried to save the culprits in the crime since the first day. It is more than three weeks since the crime and the crime branch only named the accused now. It is because of the pressure from the high court. However, the accused list is incomplete as it only has the police personnel directly involved in arresting and assaulting Thamir. Officials who had given directions to the DANSAF members are still roaming free. It includes the Malappuram District Police Chief S Sujith Das, Tanur DySP, Tanur ASP, who is also the Tanur Station House Officer and the Inspector of Police. We demand a fair inquiry in the case and everyone involved should be prosecuted”, Thamir Jifri Action Council Vice Chairman Yasar Olakkan told On Manorama.
The decision to invoke murder charges against the DANSAF members would further strengthen the claims of the action council. Meanwhile, the political parties have been demanding the removal of Sujith Das from the post. They argue that the presence of officers, who ordered and monitored the post-arrest procedures in the custodial death case, would definitely influence the investigation.
The FIR, prepared by the Tanur police claimed that he collapsed after showing signs of drug overuse and died. However, the crime branch probe unearthed specific hints of ‘custodial torture'.
Eight police officers, including the Tanur Sub-Inspector, are currently under suspension.
The autopsy report revealed Thamir had 21 wounds on his body and swelling in his lungs. It said the body also had many problems connected with regular drug use.
On August 10, the state government handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation amid protests.
