Malappuram: S Sujith Das IPS has been relieved of his duties as the Police Chief of Malappuram district to attend a training programme in Hyderabad from September 4.
Pressure had been mounting on the Das following the Tanur custodial death of Malappuram native Thamir Jifri. The Crime Branch had on Saturday named four members of the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF), headed by Das, as accused in the case.
R Anand, District Police Chief of Palakkad, will have the additional responsibility of Malappuram from September 2 as the state government has yet to appoint a full-time replacement for Das, who held the post for over three years.
Besides Das, three other IPS officers from Kerala will attend the training at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the action council in Tanur, set up in the wake of the custodial death, has demanded an FIR against Das. “He is the person in charge of DANSAF and they acted independently in the custody and torture of Thamir Jifri. They received proper direction from the senior police officers including Sujith Das. So we demand probing the role of senior officers involved in the case,” said Rafeeq P M, working chairman of the action council.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) that has been agitating for the removal of Das from the post has put forward the same demand as the action council. They want a thorough probe.
“The decision to remove the DPC has come after the IUML put a huge amount of pressure on the government. But we are not satisfied with his removal alone. The party demands an investigation to reveal his involvement in the custody death of Thamir Jifri,” IUML State General Secretary PMA Salam told Onmanorama.
IUML's Tirurangadi MLA, K P A Majeed said Jifri's family had petitioned the High Court and filed a complaint with the chief minister to remove Das, fearing he will be able to influence the case. "The government may have been forced to take a decision fearing negative remarks against the DPC from the court," said Majeed.
