According to the detailed post-mortem examination reports of the 17-year-old boy who was beaten to death in an observation home in Chengalpattu a few weeks ago, the boy’s body showed at least 96 injuries. Gokul Shree, who was accused of theft and apprehended by the Railway Police, was reportedly tortured and beaten to death in an observation home.
Gokul Shree, a 17-year-old teen, was arrested on December 28 by the Railway Police in Tambaram on suspicion of stealing a battery from a railway station. He was sent to a children correctional facility because he was a minor. On December 31, he was rushed to Chengalpet Government Hospital with complaints of seizures, where he passed away within hours.
The preliminary autopsy report showed that the child was subjected to a physical attack, had severe contusions on his legs, and several external injuries on his body. The child was beaten severely before being killed, and the majority of his injuries were were ante-mortem. The parents, however, were not given access to the complete autopsy report.
On the basis of the post mortem report, six prison officials of the correctional facility were arrested. S Mohan, 30, superintendent of prisons, P Vidyasagar, 33, assistant superintendent of prisons, J H Raj, 29, barber at the juvenile home, prison wardens D Vijayakumar, 30, M Saranraj, and teacher R Chandrababu, 40, were arrested.
In this context, the victim’s parents were provided the full autopsy report of the deceased teen Gokul Shri. At a press conference conducted on Monday at the Press Club in Chennai’s Chepauk area, the post-mortem reports were presented to the public. The press conference was attended by the victim’s mother Priya, the Marxist Communist Party’s Chengalpattu district secretary Bharti Anna, and the state head of People’s Watch Organization Aseerwadham.
Bharti told reporters that the boy was tortured by sprinkling chilli powder in his eyes to see if he was deceased, and that the post-mortem report revealed that his body had 96 injuries. They also used sharp pins to prick his eyes to see if he was dead. They also poured hydrogen per oxide into the teens mouth. He went on to say that the victims in the much-discussed Sathankulam murder case were wounded in only 18 places, whereas Gokul Shri was injured in 96 different places before dying.
He added that the child spoke to his mother from a Railway police officer’s phone a day before his death and said he was alright. However, after being lodged in the correctional facility, prison authorities began beating him from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. He claimed that a team of six officers headed by Inspector Mohan assaulted the child, resulting in his death.
He said, “After being delayed, the matter has now been transferred to the Cri,me Branch, Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID). CB-CID must resolve this case as quickly as possible. On April 12, we will hold a protest in Chengalpattu, demanding the arrest of those responsible for the torture. The post-mortem reports were given to the victim’s family after almost two months.”
(With inputs from ToI and RedPix)
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