Even as the Crime Branch probe into the custodial death of Bihar native Satnam Singh Mann is progressing at snail’s pace, a team from the National Human Rights’ Commission is likely to come down to Kerala this week to investigate the case.
According to sources, an NHRC team would be visiting the Mental Health Centre at Peroorkada, the Kollam district jail and the Karunagapally police station. It is learnt that NHRC had already sent a notice to the state government on the custodial death.
The family of Satnam had lodged a petition with the NHRC seeking a probe into the death.
Young Satnam had been arrested from the Matha Amrithanandamayi Ashram on August 1 after he split from the queue for the daily darshan and rushed towards Mata Amrithanandamayi.
On August 4, he was found dead at the Mental Health Centre here, to where the Kollam police had referred him.
The Crime Branch team probing the case stated in a report to the court that Satnam was beaten up at the MHC with cable wire and his head was crushed against the wall of the cell, leading to the death. There were 77 wounds on his body.
Crime Branch sources said the probe could not gain steam as some of those involved in the case were inmates of the MHC, or convicts or remand prisoners. “We could initiate steps against them only with the consent of the court,” said the source.
Two security staff at the hospital, including a jail warden, were arrested in the case. Five doctors were transferred and the service of a doctor who was on contract terminated following the incident, in what was seen as a mild response from the government.
A week ago, another similar death was reported from the mental health centre at Kuthiravattom, amid reports of horrid conditions, including lack of basic facilities, existing in the state’s mental health asylums.