TN Govt orders judicial probe

CHENNAI, NOV 18: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Thursday rejected an Opposition demand for the resignation of his government ...

CHENNAI, NOV 18: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Thursday rejected an Opposition demand for the resignation of his government over the rioting in central prison here on Wednesday but announced a judicial probe by a sitting Madras High Court judge into the incidents.

He also announced that the President8217;s gallantry medal will be given to the Deputy Jail Warden Jaykumar. As per Section 145 of the Police Standing Order an RDO inquiry is already on into the cause of death of Boxer8217; Vadivelu, action of the police and prison personnel against the inmates.

Narrating the sequence of events, sources said during a surprise check 15 days ago the jail authorities had seized some ganja packets from the cell where Vadivelu and some of his associates were lodged. Due to this the authorities separated Vadivelu from his followers and lodged him in another cell. This increased their wrath towards the authorities.

When Vadivelu had severe stomach pain and diahorrea a week back, he was admitted to the jailhospital and given treatment. Glucose drips were administered. Sources said the jail officials could have shifted him to the hospital when his condition deteriorated on Tuesday night. It is not yet clear whether he was alive or dead when he was brought to the hospital.

Immediately after knowing about Vadivelu8217;s death, his associates and other prisoners went on a rampage. Sources said they even stabbed Deputy Jailor Jayakumar with a sharp instrument. Some well-wishers of Jayakumar among the prisoners took him to the remittance room to ensure his safety. According to a version, the rampaging prisoners without being aware that Jayakumar was inside, set fire to the room. The prison authorities led by the jailor had earlier tried to control the situation by adopting various methods. When these efforts failed they sought the help of the police.

The jailor fired 12 rounds from his service revolver at the prisoners in self-defence and to save the lives of other jail staff. Meanwhile, the police arrived and tookcharge of the situation. It is learnt that the police fired at least 25 rounds.Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission on Thursday asked the Tamil Nadu Goverenment to submit a detailed report within 24 hours about the rioting in Chennai Central Jail in which nine people were reportedly killed. Taking cognisance of a complaint from Henri Tiphagne, director of People8217;s Watch 8211; Tamil Nadu8217;, the commission immediately sent a notice asking for a detailed report on Wednesday8217;s incident in the prison, the NHRC said in a release.In the complaint, Tiphagne sought the NHRC8217;s intervention to ensure that an independent post-mortem of the bodies was conducted under the supervision of the commission8217;s representatives. It also suggested a special rapporteur of the commission be present during the post-mortem.quot;We also plead that compulsory videography of these post-mortems be accompanied and copies of the post-mortem report and the video tapes made available to a human rights NGO to initiate further action ifnecessaryquot;, the letter added.