CHENNAI, OCT 28: The Tamil Nadu CB-CID headed by Additional Director General of Police V K Rajagopalan, in its report into the suicide of housewife Chitra (20) submitted today to the Home department, has found ten police personnel guilty of dereliction of duty and recommended appropriate action.Chitra was reported to have committed suicide on October 13 shortly after she was interrogated at the Aminjikarai police station.The CB-CID report is said to be an interim one. The six-page report blamed an Assistant Commissioner of police, an Inspector, a Sub-Inspector and seven constables for bringing the woman for interrogation to the police station in the night which is against rules. The ball is now in the Government's court on action to be taken against the 10 police personnel.The probe team, led by CB CID SP K Thukkaiyandi and consisting of DSP (HQ) G Senraya Perumal and Inspector Balu, conducted extensive enquiries with over 50 witnesses. Based on the statements recorded from them and relying on thepost-mortem report, it has come to the conclusion that Chitra was not raped as alleged by some persons.With regard to the `suicide note' said to be left by Chitra before taking the extreme step, the CB-CID suspects the hands of some locals. A firm conclusion could be arrived at only after getting the report from the handwriting expert who is in the process of comparing the letter with the hand-written samples of five persons suspected to be involved in the episode, sources said.The CB-CID is said to have obtained clinching evidence to break the theory that Chitra had written the suicide note. During interrogation, they found a receipt dated October 11, 1998, issued by a pawnbroker shop on pledging of two gold rings - belonging to Chitra and her husband Ravi - for Rs 1,600. Chitra, accompanied by a woman, had pledged the rings, and signed in the receipt as `Chithira' in Tamil, whereas the so-called suicide note is signed as `Chitra'. The CB-CID argues that normally a person's style of signature wouldbe similar on every occasion till his/her death. ``Anyway, we are waiting for the expert's opinion on this issue,'' a senior officer said.While examining witnesses the CB-CID came to know that Ravi had asked Chitra to pledge the rings for purchasing clothes for Deepavali festival as he did not want to use the money allegedly stolen from a shop, police claimed.To buttress its argument that Chitra could have taken the extreme step of suicide, ashamed over her husband's involvement in a theft case, the CB-CID had quoted instances wherein she quarreled with her husband and even threatened to complain about him to the police regarding the theft.Ravi reportedly convinced her not to report to the police on the plea that his accomplice would target him, sources said. Chitra is then said to have relented and refrained from informing the police. However, Ravi was subsequently arrested and the stigma attached to her family was too much for her to stomach, the CB-CID concluded in its report.
