Mystery Deepens in Kerala Cop's Death Case After Police Recovers 'Suicide Note' That Blames Senior Officer

Thiruvananthapuram: The mystery surrounding the death of a Kerala cop deepened on Wednesday after the investigative team found what appears to be a suicide note written by the cop before his death. The note alleges that Kumar, who worked with the Kallekkad Armed Reserve camp in Palakkad district, suffered mental torture allegedly because of his caste.

The note accuses a senior police officer, who retires on July 31, of class discrimination.

Kumar's wife Sajini and brother Rangan have alleged that he was subjected to overwork and tortured psychologically as he belonged to the Adivasi community.

Sajini has been demanding a judicial probe and asked the state government to file a murder case against the police officers responsible for the death of her husband. "The culprits must be arrested soon. Otherwise the evidence will be destroyed. The deputy commandant was the one who led the policemen against my husband," she told media persons on Wednesday.

The SC/ST commission has asked the District Collector and SP of Palakkad district to file an immediate report on the death of Kumar.

The police had registered a case of unnatural death, after the body of 30-year-old Kumar was found near a railway track at Lakkidi in Palakkad on July 25.

Hailing from the tribal belt of Attappadi in Palakkad, Kumar, a Chemistry graduate, was deployed at the Kallekkadu Armed Reserve camp in the district for the last six years as a civil police officer (CPO). Kumar's father Nanjan is a tribal chief at a hamlet called Kunnanchala in Attaappdy. He has four brothers and a sister and is the only one from the family to get a job in the government service. Kumar's wife Sajini, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, holds a Masters degree in Computer Application.

While the police suspects Kumar may have committed suicide because of “personal issues”, Sajini had levelled allegations of severe caste discrimination against Kumar’s senior colleagues on July 27. “Kumar was mentally tortured by his seniors as he belonged to the Scheduled Tribe,” Sajini told the media.

She added that he was being regularly insulted in the camp because he belonged to the Adivasi community. Kumar, according to Sajini, had told her that he was often forced to work overtime because of his caste background. The suicide note by Kumar also has similar details.