Rajkumar died of brutal custodial torture, finds Judicial Commission

Nedumkandam: The Judicial Commission which probed the 2019 custodial death of financier Rajkumar in Nedumkandam in Idukki district has concluded that the victim died due to brutal assault in police station.

Justice K Narayana Kurup Commission which conducted the probe has recommended action to be taken against the policemen who were found guilty of torturing Rajkumar.

The commission had summoned 73 witnesses in connection with the probe and recorded their statements over the last one-and-a-half years since it was set up.

The commission found that the statements given by witnesses regarding Rajkumar’s torture in Sub-Inspector's room on the first floor of the Nedumkandam police station were true. After finding lapses in the postmortem examination, a re-postmortem was conducted on the intervention of the commission.

Evidence was collected from the Nedumkandam police station, including its rest room, the taluk hospital and Rajkumar's house in Vagamon. Besides, the commission also examined the circumstances and facts that led to the arrest and subsequent death of Rajkumar.

Justice Narayana Kurup said a final report containing lapses on the part of the senior officials in connection with the custodial death and the measures to be adopted to prevent such incidents in future would be submitted to the government later.

Rajkumar, 49, had died at the Peermade sub-jail on July 21, 2019 after his arrest over an alleged financial scam linked to Haritha Financiers. The native of Kolahalamedu in Vagamon was arrested a month earlier by the Nedumkandam police. The autopsy revealed that Rajkumar had suffered brutal assaults.

A year ago, the Kerala High Court had ordered the CBI to investigate the case.