Mangaluru: The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) held a press meet at the Press Club here, on November 5.
Addressing the mediapersons, president of PUCL Kabeer Ullal said that on November 2, Madoor Isubu and Ganesh Shetty were murdered in the district sub-jail. “In this connection, cases should be registered against the Jailer, warden and the Jail Superintendent. According to police commissioner Murugan, the weapons came through the compound wall. If someone threw weapons inside the jail compound, how come the jail staff did not get it? How come only the accused who were involved in the murder got the weapons? According to the information, during interrogation, an undertrail Iqbal Bantwal has revealed that three days ago, he had informed the jail in-charge that aide of Vicky Shetty, Akash Bhavan Sharan and his team, had supplied the weapons to the sub-jail but no action was taken nor did they try to recover the weapons in the jail. The jail staff maintained silence until the undertrails killed Isubu inside the jail. There is no doubt that the incident is communally motivated,” said Kabeer.
He further said, “The media has highlighted the name of Sharan behind the murder of Isubu and Ganesh, but it is said that the police commissioner S Murugan has failed to confirm as to which gang the murderers belong. According to the police commissioner, it was gang rivalry and not communal enmity. After Murugan become the police commissioner, murders have increased in Mangaluru and the coastal areas.” Kabeer urged the home minister to transfer Murugan from Mangaluru and also transfer the police officers who have been working here since many years. “From many years, we have been urging the government to transfer police officers who have been working in Mangaluru, from many years.”
“At present, there are 440 inmates in the sub-jail with only 17 staff. The jail staff should be increased to 40, the police force should be strengthened and new police personnel should be appointed. According to the state Human Rights Commission, when there is a murder in a jail, it should be considered as custodial death and an FIR should be registered against the jail staff as well as the murderers and the state Human Rights Commission should be informed.”
Recalling the death of PUCL president David D’Souza, Kabir Ullal said that the death of David in the police station has not been reported to the state Human Rights Commission and no FIR has been registered against the police personnel who were responsible for David’s death.
Former president of PUCL P B D’Sa, Dinesh Ulipady and others were also present.