Human Rights Commission orders probe into death of remand prisoner of Viyyur jail

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The State Human Rights Commission has suo motu registered a case into the death of a remand prisoner from Viyyur jail who died while undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital. Commission member V. Geetha has directed the head of the jail department and the Thrissur City Police Commissioner to conduct a detailed inquiry and submit a report within 15 days. The case will be taken up during the Commission’s sitting in Thrissur after the report is received.

The death of a 33-year-old remand prisoner at Viyyur Central Jail has triggered allegations of custodial torture, even as a preliminary post-mortem report attributes the cause of death to internal bleeding in the head linked to a pre-existing condition. The deceased, Resh Babu, a native of Nanmikkara, died at the Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital on Wednesday evening while undergoing treatment. He had been arrested on May 16 in connection with a robbery case along with two others and was remanded to judicial custody the following day.

According to jail authorities, Resh Babu vomited and fainted inside the jail on May 26, following which he was first admitted to the district hospital and later shifted to the medical college hospital due to his deteriorating condition.

However, the family has alleged that the death was a result of custodial assault and has lodged a complaint with the City Police Commissioner. They claimed that there were visible injuries on his body and that he had swelling on his lips when they saw him in the hospital. The family also questioned the decision to lodge a person with mental health challenges in a regular jail, alleging serious lapses on the part of the police.

Responding to the allegations, officials said the preliminary findings of the post-mortem examination indicate that the death was not due to physical assault but caused by internal bleeding in head. The incident has sparked protests, with DYFI activists staging a march to the East Police Station demanding acco