Tribal resident of Kurumalai dies in toilet of Udumalpet Forest Range Office, custodial death case registered

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A resident of Kurumalai tribal settlement in Anamalai Tiger Reserve Marimuthu (48) who was under interrogation in a purported case of wildlife offence reportedly ended his life in the toilet of the Udumalpet Forest Range Office in Tiruppur district on Thursday morning.

The incident triggered charges of “custodial death” levelled by his Mudhuvar tribal community.

A day after Marimuthu, who was booked in a ganja case along with his kinsmen during 2022, was acquitted of the crime by the Udumalpet Court, he had, on Wednesday completed the legal formalities and was returning to his house near Marayoor in Idukki district in Kerala where he had relocated with his wife and daughters after securing anticipatory bail, when he was intercepted and brought back to the Udumalpet Range Office close to midnight.

Marimuthu, Forest Department sources contended, was brought back for questioning in connection with a wildlife offence.

Going by the information provided by the Forest Department officials to the Udumalpet police, Marimuthu had sought permission to ease himself in the early hours and had ended his life in the toilet.

However, the death has triggered speculations that he was murdered by the Forest personnel and it was projected as suicide.

“Marimuthu was a gritty person; It is a case of custodial death,” G. Selvan, State Joint Secretary, Tamil Nadu Tribal Association, alleged in a complaint to the police.

In a representation to the Inspector of Udumalpet Police Station, the victim’s wife Pandiammal (40) reiterated that her husband was a courageous person and that she had a suspicion that he had been murdered by the Forest Department personnel in “illegal” custody.

The post-mortem must be conducted in-camera in the presence of senior government officials, Pandiammal insisted.
The Udumalpet police registered a case under Section 196 of BNNS, 2023, dealing with custodial death.

A senior police official said in the evening hours that further investigation was underway.

A case ought to be registered under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, and taken up for thorough investigation by the CB CID police, G. Thanaraj, tribal rights activist, emphasised.