Suspended Sathankulam Inspector Sridhar's antecedents include attempt to murder

A case of attempt to murder had been lodged in 2019 against Sathankulam's suspended inspector Sridhar, who is a suspect in the custodial death case of two traders-Jayaraj and his son Beniks. According to an internal report accessed by ETV Bharat, he was hasty in making arrests and had been biased in most of the cases handed over to him.

Theni:Inspector Sridhar, now suspended from Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi, whose track record includes an attempt to murder case, and gross misuse of power in arresting counter petitioners to help protect his khakhi friend's interest, among others.

Sridhar was the station house officer (SHO) of Sathankulam when father-son-duo were subjected to custodial torture which ultimately led to their untimely deaths.

According to an internal report accessed by ETV Bharat, the then Additional SP of Prohibition Enforcement Wing, Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari district, has indicted that Sridhar, who was posted as an inspector at Rajakamangalam Police station in 2011, has arrested 11 persons, including a petitioner who had lodged a complaint against one of his friends in a land grabbing case. In order to save his friend, he arrested the ones who had lodged complaints against the former.

The report notes that the Inspector was hasty in making the arrest without pursuing the facts in the case and slammed him for being lopsided in the probe. Sridhar sided of Ayyakannu, a then head constable attached to the special branch, and acted in favour of the complaint lodged by the latter's wife. Revenue department's report was crystal clear that the encroacher is Ayyakannu not otherwise as painted in his wife's complaint. The ADSP has suggested Sridhar's actions will have to be dealt with for his hasty action.

The report revealed that he arrested people without initiating any detailed investigation into the case and had been biased in most of the cases handed over to him during his tenure.

The latest in the list of Sridhar's record is that of an attempt to murder at Vaigai Dam Police station in Theni district. Originally, the charges pressed were of dowry harassment and domestic violence. Sridhar's elder brother Kalaivanan's daughter-in-law Divya has preferred a complaint against Sridhar as well after she managed to miss her death by a whisker after she was served a soft drink laced with poison by Sridhar's niece another Divya.

Sridhar's elder brother Kalaivanan's daughter-in-law Divya has lodged a complaint against her husband's family members. In her complaint, she mentioned that the family members mixed poison in her soft drink in an attempt to kill her. Divya had raised charges of dowry harassment and domestic violence against Sridhar and his family members.

Although a case was filed against Sridhar and his family members in 2019 under provisions of Indian Penal Code(IPC) sections 294 B (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 506(1) (criminal intimidation), 498 (A) (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 307 (attempt to murder) but the inquiry is pending.

Investigation revealed that one more complaint has been registered against the inspector, while he was posted in Tirunelveli for attacking a Dalit activist Antony Francis after the latter spoke against him. The case was being probed by senior officials.