Police officers accused of beating and killing a Tamil youth while in custody had their identities confirmed through an identification parade.
The first witness identified four police officers including the former sub-inspector of the Vaddukoddai police station criminal division, during an identification parade before Jaffna Magistrate AA Anandarajah on December 08, according to provincial court reporters.
They said Jaffna Magistrate A.A. Anandaraja ordered the parade by rejecting a request by lawyers who were representing the accused objecting to the presentation of police officers in the identification parade. This is due to the fact that the photographs of the accused police officers have been already circulated on social media.
The magistrate has ordered that the four police officers accused of the murder of Nagarasa Alex, a resident of Sittankeni, Jaffna district, will continue to be remanded until December 19.
Nagarasa Alex and 20 years old Sudakaran Tuavakaran were arrested by the Vaddukoddai police on November 8 on charges of theft. Tuavakaran is currently out on bail. Nagarasa Alex was brought before the Magistrate's Court only after four days of his arrest. The court remanded the young man. It was also revealed in court that Alex was taken to an Ayurvedic doctor two days before producing the victim before a magistrate.
Alex was already dead when he was brought to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital on Sunday, November 19 according to the autopsy report from the Judicial Medical Officer.
The death of 26-year-old Nagarasa Alex in custody was "not a natural death but a murder" Jaffna Magistrate A.A. Anandaraja said in court on Friday, November 24.
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Nagarasa Alex: A 'murder in custody', rules Jaffna magistrate
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