Sketch Manja custodial death: SHRC to file suo motu case against cops

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission, on Saturday, has decided to take up a suo motu case into the death of 35-year-old Sathish alias ‘Sketch Manja’ while in police custody.

A habitual offender Sathish had been arrested on Thursday by the Amrutenahalli Police and it was during the interrogations that Sathish pushed one of his interrogators and jumped to death from the second floor of the station.

As per a source, the State Human Rights Commission officials raised doubts over the sequence of events, as narrated by the police, that eventually led to the death of Satish and hence decided to file a suo motu case. 

Roopak Kumar Dutta, a member of SHRC speaking to media persons said that if there was any hint of torture during Satish’s interrogation, then those responsible would be prosecuted

Meanwhile, Sathish’s body is yet to be claimed by his family members and the postmortem is yet to be conducted at the Bowring Hospital. The police say that they have deputed their personnel to trace his family as the addresses furnished by him were false.

It is learnt that in case no family member turns up to claim his body the police will inform the deputy commissioner, Revenue Department, who is the competent authority for ordering a postmortem and the cremation.