2022 Kallakurichi riots: Judge questions police over delay in inquiring deceased girl’s mother
The school correspondent had approached the Madras High Court accusing the police of not having inquired her despite the lapse of 23 months since the incident
The Madras High Court on Thursday expressed displeasure over Kallakurichi police for not having inquired so far the mother of a Class XII girl, whose death inside a private school building had led to large-scale violence and riot at Kaniyamoor village in July 2022, despite the school correspondent accusing the woman and a politician of having instigated the rioters.
“Are you waiting for an auspicious day to inquire them” asked Justice G. Jayachandran during the hearing of a petition filed by the school correspondent C. Ravikumar to transfer the investigation in four criminal cases, booked regarding the 2022 riots, from the office of the Chinnasalem Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to any other investigation agency.
The petitioner was the correspondent of Sakthi Matriculation School and ECR International School functioning from different buildings on the same campus at Kaniyamoor. On July 13, 2022, Class XII girl R. Srimathi had died by suicide inside the school campus and this led to ransacking of the school property by a mob on July 17, 2022.
Stating that the investigation into the girl’s death was conducted by the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID), which had filed a final report confirming it to be a case of suicide, the petitioner accused the girl’s mother R. Selvi and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) Cuddalore district secretary Dravidamani of having spread false news to instigate the riots.
The correspondent alleged the girl’s mother had demanded a compensation of ₹1 crore from him and when he refused to pay such a huge amount, a falsehood was spread on the social media accusing the school management of having resorted to human sacrifice. A hashtag titled #JusticeforSrimathi was also floated claiming it to be a case of rape and murder.
Several WhatsApp groups were created to share the false messages and it had led to a mob ransacking the school, destroying documents, setting fire to school property, pelting police personnel with stones and robbing 250 sovereigns of gold jewellery as well as ₹35 lakh from his house, the correspondent said. He also stated that vehicles belonging to the school, police and the media were also damaged.
Though four First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed in connection with the riots, the police had not inquired either the girl’s mother or the VCK functionary, he complained.
In response, a government counsel informed the court that 166 mobile phones were recovered to find out how the mob was mobilised and that forensic lab reports were awaited.
He said that the police wanted to confront the girl’s mother with the lab reports and therefore the delay. Not finding it to be a justification for the police for not having inquired the woman and the politician even after 23 months since the riots took place, the judge said, their statements ought to have been recorded and they should have also been arrayed as accused if there was any material against them.
“You should have taken them to a Judicial Magistrate for recording their statements under Section 164 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure). You should have investigated how the false news was spread and how the mob gathered. What prevented you from inquiring these two persons and how long are you going to wait for that” the judge asked and expressed his inclination to transfer the investigation.
However, the government counsel urged the court to grant a week’s time for the present investigating officer to record the statements of the girl’s mother and the politician and to take further action in accordance with law. The judge accepted his request and adjourned the hearing on the correspondent’s plea to July 3.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
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