Rights panel seeks probe into death of Viyyur district jail inmate

Thrissur: State human rights commission (SHRC) has taken a suo motu case in the death of a remand prisoner at Viyyur district jail who was undergoing treatment at Thrissur medical college hospital (MCH).

Commission member V Geetha has directed the city police commissioner and the head of the jail department to conduct inquiry into the death of Reshbabu, 33, and submit reports within 15 days.

The case would be considered in a subsequent sitting of the commission in Thrissur after receiving the reports.

An SHRC release said there were allegations of lapses on the part of police in sending a person with learning disabilities to a general prison.

Reshbabu was arrested in connection with a theft case on May 16. As per news reports, police had indicated that Reshbabu vomited blood after poking his mouth with an incense stick. However, the father had said there were injury scars on Reshbabu’s body, the release said.

However, Dr Hitesh Sankar, the forensic expert at MCH who performed the postmortem, had said as per the preliminary postmortem finding, Reshbabu died not due to torture but due to internal bleeding in head, caused by a pre-existing condition.