CBI court finds six policemen guilty of Udaya Kumar's custodial murder
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, July 24: Delivering relief to an aged mother who knocked all the doors to ensure that justice is done to her son whose life was cut short by callous men in uniform, the CBI Special Court on Tuesday found all the six policemen guilty in connection with the custodial murder of Udaya Kumar, a 27-year-old youth, at Fort Police station on September 27, 2005.
K Jithukumar and S V Sreekumar, who took Udaya Kumar and his friend Suresh Kumar to the station from a park in the city, were found guilty of murder while T Ajith Kumar (then S I), E K Sabu (then C I) and T K Haridas (then Assistant Commissioner) have been found guilty of fabricating evidences and hatching conspiracy. The third accused Soman, who was an additional sub-inspector at the time of murder, died during the trial. The quantum of punishment will be announced on Wednesday by CBI special court judge J Nasser. The first two accused were sent to remand while the rest have been asked to appear before the court on Wednesday.
Udaya Kumar and Suresh were whiling away time at Sreekandeshwaram Park when constables Jithukumar and Sreekumar apprehended them after they found `4500 in his pocket. Suspecting that the cash was stolen, the policemen took them to Fort station for interrogation. The duo were subjected to brutal third-degree treatment in a bid to extract confession from them. Udaya Kumar was also subjected to 'Uruttal'- a colloquial term used to mention the torture method where the lower limbs are crushed using a heavy wooden pestle-something that was widely used on naxal sympathisers in Kerala during the Emergency period.
The case that was investigated initially by the State Police before being taken over by the CBI witnessed several setbacks as witnesses, including Suresh and several police officers, turned hostile while there were efforts to fabricate evidence to implicate Udaya Kumar in theft case.
Courtesy: www.newindianexpress.com
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Unruly scenes witnessed in Punjab Assembly
Chandigarh (PTI): The Punjab Assembly on Friday witnessed high drama on Friday after Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira made an allegedly objectionable remark against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during an intense argument over the alleged use of mobile phone in the house by the legislator.
During the one-day special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha here, Mann accused Khaira of using a mobile phone when Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was reading out an official resolution on the revision of wages.
After rising from his seat, the chief minister pointed to the speaker, claiming that Khaira is busy on his mobile phone and urged him to ask the Congress MLA what Sandhwan had said about the resolution.
The speaker then asked Khaira to maintain order in the house and listen to the resolution carefully.
Mann then asked Khaira, "Why don't you go out and then use it (mobile phone)," which led to a strong verbal altercation during which the opposition MLA hurled an accusation against the chief minister. Meanwhile, the speaker appealed for order and insisted that the chair be addressed.
However, both Mann and Khaira continued arguing and could be seen pointing fingers at each other as the proceedings of the house were disrupted.
The AAP MLAs also rose from their seats with Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema condemning Khaira for his conduct and demanded action against him.
Cheema further alleged that Khaira "always tries to disturb the house" as he spoke about his conduct in the assembly.
The incident occurred as an official resolution on the revision of wages was presented at the special session by Labour Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond who said it paid homage to labourers on the International Workers' Day.
"Workers are the axis of construction of the nation, the community, the state and society. Every construction project succeeds only through their blood and sweat," the resolution read.
As per the resolution, "The base rate of minimum wages for the working class in Punjab was last revised in the year 2012. Although the dearness allowance has continued to increase since 2012, there has been no increase in the base rate of minimum wages.
On this sacred occasion of May Day, in this special session of the legislative assembly, this house proposes to revise and increase the minimum wages of labourers and strongly recommends to the government to take a decision regarding the increase of minimum wages for workers, so that the contributions of the workers can be acknowledged." PRK
