hereiam

Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Delay in Booking Inspector led to Ambur Clash

J Shanmugha Sundaram

Published on July 8, 2015

Vellore: Family members of the late 26-year-old Shameel Ahmed of Ambur, have alleged that the Ambur Town police failed to immediately book former Inspector, C Martin Premraj, including other police personnel based on their complaint lodged on June 19 and instead actively shielded them, delaying the filing of a case on the charge of illegal detention and torture of Ahmed.

Inspector Martin PremrajThe family members claim that if the police had acted swiftly by filing a case against C Martin Premraj, the former Inspector of Pallikonda Station on June 19 for illegally detaining and roughing up Ahmed, the violence that ensued could have been averted.

“We lodged a complaint with the Ambur Town police on June 19, soon after Ahmed was admitted to the Ambur GH for his injuries. But they did not look into it seriously and dismissed the complaint,” Mohammed Ghouse Basha, Ahmed’s father-in-law said.

Basha received Ahmed from police custody on June 19. “His hands were swollen and he could not move his right hand. His shoulders were also injured,” he said.

Basha alleged that the family met Ambur Town station inspector Saravanan several times, who told them that he (Saravanan) would have to discuss the complaint with the DSP (P. Ganesan) to act on their complaint.

Since there was no active response from the police, the relatives along with members of the Indian Thoweed Jamath staged a protest on June 23, near Ambur Town police station, which resulted in the police arresting 27 protestors.

Inspector C. Martin Premraj

The transfer of Inspector C Martin Premraj to Vaniymabdi unit of Prohibition Enforcement Wing from Pallikonda Police Station on June 23 was, they claim, a knee-jerk response to the alarming sequence of events.

Even after the protests that ensued, Basha said no case was filed by the police.

“The police finally filed a case because of the pressure that built up following Ahmed’s death on June 27 that triggered a larger protest lasting two hours, with 500 protestors gheraoing the police station.”

The sequence of events between June 19 and June 27 brought to light Ahmed’s illegal detention and the irregularities in police actions with Muslim youth in Vaniyambadi, Gudiyattam, Pernambut and Melvisharam becoming aware of police negligence through WhatsApp. Ahmed’s death created a sense of collective unease that possibly sparked the June 28 rioting and violence in Ambur town, Basha said.

“If the police had followed proper procedures and filed a case, it would have defused the tension immediately. The suspension of the inspector and CB-CID inquiry are delayed response,” he added.

Police officials have also admitted the lapse on their part. Sources in the CB-CID, said that the then Inspector of Pallikonda, Premraj has been issued a summons for an inquiry in connection with Ahmed’s death.

Residents hoist black flags

Vellore: Black flags were hoisted in a few houses in Sandrorkuppam and Bharathiyar Nagar in Ambur on Tuesday condemning the violence on June 28 and demanding the revocation of the promulgation of Section 144 of CrPC for 10 days with prohibitory orders in force from July 6 to July 15, 6 PM.

Monday, 6 July 2015

Watch Video: Youths Giving Liquor to 4-year-old

TIRUVANNAMALAI:

Within hours after a shocking video of a group of youth giving liquor to a 4-year-old went viral on social media, the Tiruvannamalai police arrested two youth and launched a search for four others, including the child’s maternal uncle.

The video, which was a minute and 37 seconds long, was circulated on WhatsApp and social media like Facebook. In the video, a group of six to seven youth are seen asking a four-year-old boy to drink beer from a plastic cup. They also tell him to eat nuts kept in a plastic bag.

While the boy is seen sipping the beer, the men seated around him egg him on and ask him to keep drinking. They even laugh as the boy sips on with evident difficulty. At one point, the toddler shakes his hand signalling that he does not want to drink more, but the men tell him to down it quickly.

The boy is seen coughing and drinking water. After this, he takes the last sip and throws away the cup.

As the video spread, the police swung into action and launched a search for the men. A two-wheeler’s registration number spotted in the video led the police to the men. “We formed three special teams to trace the youth. We saw the vehicle registration number in the video (TN 25 AJ 8209) and traced it to Elumalai of Mel Cholankuppam village in Kadaladi police station limits,” R Ponni, Superintendent of Police, Tiruvannamalai, told Express. She added that they indulged in such an act in an inebriated condition.

Elumalai (23) is one of the six men seen in the video. The police also nabbed Premkumar (22) of the same village. During inquiry, the duo told the police that the incident occurred on June 30 near a lake in the village.

Police said that the boy was the nephew of one of the accused, Murugan, who had gone to play cricket with his friends and had taken the boy along.

They consumed liquor after a playing cricket and it was after this that they made the four-year-old drink what was left over, police said.

Police have launched a search for four others, including Rajaram, Murugan and Manikandan of the same village. The preliminary inquiry divulged that Premkumar captured the entire act and circulated it among his friends on WhatsApp and it was later uploaded on social media, including Facebook.

The boy’s parents had left him with his maternal grandmother Muniyammal and are working as construction workers in Chennai. The parents of the child said that they were not aware about the incident, said the SP.

Police registered a case against the six under section 25 (penalty for giving intoxicating liquor or narcotic drug or psychotropic substance to juvenile or child) of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000. They are contemplating invoking section 307 (attempt to murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), said police sources.

Sec 144 in Ambur, Vaniyambadi

Vellore: The district administration promulgated Section 144 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code of 1973, (CrPC) that empowers a magistrate to prohibit an assembly of more than ten people in an area to ensure that the simmering tension that continues to prevail in Ambur and Vaniyambadi towns and surrounding areas does not get out of hand. It came into effect after RDO of Tirupattur, D Renganathan convened a meeting with senior police officers and invoked it from June 6 to 6 pm on June 15. Police have deployed 600 people on bandobust duty in Ambur. So far, 131 individuals have been arrested.

Inspector Premraj still untraceable

Vellore: Inspector C Martin Premraj, the prime accused in the alleged custodial death of Shameel Ahmed, continues to remain at large and has been untraceable. Sources in the CB-CID said that the then Inspector of Pallikonda, Premraj has been issued a summons for an inquiry in connection with the death of Ahmed. However, Premraj has not turned up for the inquiry. Police have Premraj’s permanent address in in Thirukovilur in Villupuram district. “We will try to issue the summons copy in person. If he fails to do so, we will take further action,” said the police official.

Inspector Premraj Summoned by CB-CID Team

Published: 06th July 2015VELLORE: The CB-CID team probing the case of Shameel Ahmed, who died at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital allegedly due to injuries sustained in illegal detention, summoned former inspector of Pallikonda C Martin Premraj for interrogation on Monday. The summons was pasted on the wall of his rented house and was not personally handed to him, since he has remained at large ever since the death of Ahmed. His suspension orders too were not received by him in-person and was also pasted on the wall of his residence.

A police official said that “the inspector went on medical leave from June 28, the day after Ahmed died. He moved to a rented house in Katpadi recently,” the police official said. Since he was not available at the house, which was found locked, the police officials stuck a copy of the summons on the house door.

Inspector Premraj Summoned by CB-CID Team

Cops Trace Pavithra to Ambattur

Published: 06th July 2015VELLORE:A special police team late on Saturday nabbed 24-year-old Pavithra — who went missing under mysterious circumstances — from a working women’s hostel in Chennai.

The district police have been on the lookout for the mother of a four year-old child, who went missing on May 24.

Tracing her call logs, a special police team under Inspector R S Parthasarthy, with technical assistance of Assistant Director of the Mobile Forensic Lab K Pari located Pavithra in Vaniveni Women’s Hostel in Ambattur on Saturday around midnight. She had been working in a textile showroom.

After Pavithra had gone missing it was alleged that she was in an extra-marital affair with Shameel Ahmed (26) — something which she denied when she was nabbed. Former Inspector of Pallikonda, C Martin Premraj — who is now facing a CB-CID inquiry — took Ahmed in for questioning on June 15 and illegally detained him for four days. During this time, he reportedly thrashed Ahmed severely, suspecting that he was aware about Pavithra’s whereabouts.

Pavithra with a police escort in Vellore on Sunday | Express

Ahmed was admitted in the government hospital in Ambur on June 19 and referred to the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital on June 23. From there, he was referred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he died on June 27. Following Ahmed’s death, Muslim outfits called for a protest and demanded action against Premraj and six other police personnel.

The large gathering of protestors turned hostile and pelted stones at police and also unleashed an attack on the 350 -odd police personnel. “The extra-marital relationship between Ahmed and Pavithra, who married her maternal uncle Palani seven years ago, is the reason behind the June 28 incident,” DSP of Ambur P Ganeshan said.

“After she left her house on May 24, she went to Chennai. From there, she took a train to Erode. There, Ahmed arranged for Pavithra’s stay. However, after repeated phone calls from her family members, Ahmed decided to send her back home. He sent her back on a train on May 27 and also informed her family members,” said Inspector Parthasarathy.

However, she did not get down in Ambur and went to Chennai. During her journey, she befriended Surendran of Chennai. With his help, she got a job in a textile showroom in Ambattur OT. He also helped Pavithra get a room in the working women’s hostel, where she was staying from May 30.

The police monitored the call logs of Pavithra’s contacts and picked up Suresh of Vettuvanam, who was working in Chennai. With his help, the police traced Pavithra’s new mobile number a couple of days ago. “We collected the call logs. We saw Pavithra and Surendran were frequently in touch, speaking over phone. The call logs helped us locate Pavithra,” said the Inspector.The police team picked her up from the hostel and brought her to Vellore on Sunday. Though the police heaved a sigh of relief after tracing Pavithra, the incidents in the aftermath of Ahmed’s death are still haunting them. Indeed, the district police was demoralised after the Ambur clash that targeted the men in khaki.

In the meantime, the Arakkonam Town Police picked Surendran (24), who is studying CA in Chennai and is a native of Dindugal, and his friend Saravanan (23) of Arakkonam for inquiry regarding the case.

Also Read: Pavithra Denies Having Affair with Shameel

Saturday, 4 July 2015

Special teams camping in Erode to Trace Pavithra

Special Teams Formed to Trace Pavithra

By J Shanmugha Sundaram

Published: 04th July 2015

VELLORE: The district police have dispatched two special teams to Erode district to track the 24-year-old Dalit girl, Pavithra of Kutchipalayam in Pallikonda, who has now been missing for more than a month.

The death of Shameel Ahmed (26) of Ambur Town derailed the investigation to locate the girl.

The mother of a three year-old girl went missing on May 24.

The woman’s husband Palani filed a missing case with the Pallikonda Station the following day.

Inquiry into the missing case revealed that Pavithra had an affair with Shameel Ahmed.

The inquiry further divulged that they developed an illicit affair when they were working in a private firm in Pallikonda. After learning about their relationship, the management of the firm sacked them both.

Ahmed moved to Erode after he got a job in a jewellery showroom.

After leaving the house, Pavithra reportedly contacted Ahmed, who asked her to come to Erode.

“Ahmed hired a house and asked Pavithra to stay there for a few days. He also contacted Pavithra’s family members on June 13 and told them that he was sending Pavithra to Pallikonda and that she would get there in three hours,” Ahmed’s friend M Firdosi told Express.

However, she did not reach Pallikonda.

Meanwhile, Palani approached the High Court and filed a habeas corpus writ. Following this, the police intensified their investigation.

However, the case got derailed following the death of Ahmed on June 28 at the Rajiv Gandhi GovernmentGeneral Hospital in Chennai.It resulted in a major law and order situation as protestors attackedseve-ral police personnel including women cops claiming that Ahmed died due to injuries sustained inillegal custody between June 15 and 19.

The focus now is to nab the attackers and restore normalcy in the disturbed area. In the process, the police lost track of Pavithra’s case.

Police officials now say that they have launched a search for the woman and have sent special teams to Erode.

“We are looking for her. We are yet to get information about her whereabouts,” said a police officer.

Thursday, 2 July 2015

Saturday’s clash remains nightmare for several policemen

Saturday’s clash remains nightmare for several policemen

J Shanmugha Sundaram

Vellore: Two police men attached to the Vellore unit of the Armed Reserve (AR) Police put their lives in grave danger to save a woman cop from an unruly group of protestors that assaulted her and dragged her away during Saturday’s clash in Ambur Town.

Though the two brave policemen – M Vijayakumar and P Kumar – managed to save the woman cop, they came under deadly attack. The mob wielding deadly weapons attacked them with sharp weapons, including that used to skin goats. The duo sustained multiple deep cut injuries and managed to escape from the attackers and ran for nearly a kilo metre.

While Kumar of them sought the help of a motorist to go to the Primary Health Centre at Madhanur, Vijayakumar requested a car driver to drop him at the medical facility. A head constable attached to Ambur Station had also sustained serious head injuries along with the two policemen.

M Vijayakumar

They are now undergoing treatment in the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital.

Close to 350-odd police men were deployed on security after over 2,000 Muslim youth gathered near OAR Theatre on the National Highway at Ambur to protest the death of 26-year old Shameel Ahmed, who died on Friday in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai allegedly due to injuries sustained in illegal detention. The protestors turned hostile and launched a scathing attack on the policemen that lasted for four hours from 9 pm.

Little did the men in khaki expect that the crowd would turn so violent leaving 38 of them, including 10 women, injured. What started with pelting of stones, ended up as a deadly attack on the cops and arson.

Thirty-four-year old Vijayakumar, a native of Kalavai, was stabbed in various places. He is now undergoing treatment for a deep cut that stretches from his buttock to a little below the calf, cuts on his back, left abdomen and his head.

“He has received 98 stitches for the cut on his leg. We have not informed our parents as they cannot bear the sight of him suffering in pain. He cannot sit on the bed and is in a lot of pain,” Velmurugan, brother of Vijayakumar.

Kumar sustained injuries caused by blades on his abdomen. One of the protestors went on to stab him in the abdomen. Many of the police personnel have sustained injuries that required stitches. One woman cop sustained severe injury on the forehead and underwent surgery at Christian Medical College Hospital.

Some of them recounted how the protestors were as young as 15 years. “We were wearing protective gear but many of the protestors were armed with knives. We were shaken when they launched the attack. They were huge in number,” said a policeman.

Some of the police personnel consider it fortunate to have survived the attack. The situation came under control after Inspector General of Police (north zone) M N Manjunatha arrived at the spot close to midnight with a strong contingent of policemen and reinforced the security.

The incident that had shaken up the district has found its way to messaging app - Whatsapp. Photos of the injured policemen with messages asking “Where is the human rights commission?” “Are we not human?” is doing the rounds on Whatsapp./eom/shan/