CHENNAI: The PMK, the political arm of the influential Vanniyar community, has called for a protest to demand a CBI pobe into the suspicious death of a youth accused in an elephant poaching case in Tamil Nadu.
In a statement issued on Monday, PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss raised serious concerns regarding the death of Senthil Kumar, a youngster from Dharmapuri district, who was allegedly tortured and killed in the custody of the Forest Department.
Dr Ramadoss stated that Senthil, along with his father Govindaraj and brother Sakthi, was taken in for questioning by forest officials on March 17. However, the family received no information about their whereabouts for days. Following a police complaint, Sakthi was returned to the family, while Govindaraj was arrested in connection with the poaching of a tusker.
According to the Forest Department, Senthil allegedly escaped while in handcuffs during a field visit to the incident site. However, his decomposed body was found 15 days later in the Eriyur reserve forest. The department claimed he had taken his own life after escaping custody, but Dr Ramadoss and human rights activists suspect foul play.
“Why did the Forest Department withhold information from the family for three days? Why was entry into Kongarapatti forest, where the body was found, restricted between March 18 and April 4?” Dr Ramadoss questioned.
He also pointed out that the body had no handcuffs and was found with a gun -- raising doubts about the suicide theory.
Activists allege that the department intentionally delayed the discovery of the body to prevent the determination of the exact cause of death.
Dr Ramadoss further accused the forest officials of murdering Senthil to prevent him from revealing incriminating information about their activities.
Demanding justice, the PMK leader called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for Senthil’s family.
It may be recalled that Senthil Kumar was the main accused in the poaching of a young tusker aged between 7 and 10 years. The elephant’s mutilated and partially charred carcass was discovered on March 1 in the Pennagaram forest range -- marking a rare and brutal case of poaching in the area. On March 18, Senthil was apprehended along with his father, brother-in-law, and another relative from Kongarapatti village.
The Forest Department claimed that during a hideout identification walk, Senthil managed to escape by jumping over a cave -- despite being handcuffed. However, skepticism grew after his wife petitioned the police for information, and speculation mounted that Senthil may have been shot and left to die.
District Forest Officer K. Rajangam maintained that the escape happened in the presence of relatives and that his staff were unarmed. He stated that the body was found by forest staff and that the Eriyur police had taken over the investigation.
The discovery of the body -- just 1 km from Senthil’s home -- has fueled demands for an impartial investigation, with increasing pressure on the state government to ensure transparency and justice in the case.