Malappuram: The family of Thamir Jifri, who died in police custody at Tanur on August 1, 2023, has demanded a fresh and comprehensive investigation into the controversial custodial death following the emergence of new CCTV footage related to the case.
Thamir’s brother, Haris Jifri, told Onmanorama that the family plans to approach the Kerala High Court seeking a fresh investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The family has already approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court seeking a stay on the ongoing trial.
The family obtained the CCTV footage from the Tanur police station after approaching the State Information Commission. Their earlier requests for the visuals had been rejected by the Tanur DySP’s office and the Malappuram district police chief.
According to Haris, the footage is crucial evidence supporting the family’s allegation that Thamir was brutally assaulted in custody and died at the police station.
“Until we received the visuals, we had only the statements of Thamir’s friends, who were taken into custody along with him, that he was brutally assaulted by police officers and collapsed and died while in custody. The footage shows police officers carrying Thamir outside the station and placing him inside a police jeep. It also shows that the police waited for more than five minutes after placing him in the vehicle before leaving for the hospital, despite his critical condition,” he said.
The CBI, which later took over the investigation, charged the accused with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The family, however, maintains that the circumstances revealed by the CCTV footage warrant murder charges and a fresh investigation.
The Crime Branch, which initially investigated the custodial death, had registered a murder case against four police officers: then-Senior Civil Police Officer (SCPO) Jinesh and Civil Police Officers (CPOs) Albin Augustine, Abhimanyu and Vipin. The CBI subsequently arrested all four in connection with the case.
Thamir had been arrested in a narcotics case. Police initially claimed that he collapsed and died while in custody.
However, a post-mortem examination found 21 injuries on his body. Several injuries were consistent with those caused by a blunt, cylindrical object. The post-mortem report concluded that his death was caused by the combined effects of narcotic drug consumption, coronary artery disease and multiple blunt-force injuries sustained to his body.
